CowgirlJane

Lisa, were you on the old yahoo bandsters group? I had my band in 2001 with Prof. Dr Rudolph Weiner in Frankfort Germany.

People genuinely have no clue. Being a tad overweight is a whole different ballgame than fighting morbid obesity for DECADES! It's funny, since I have been at goal for awhile thin people think I am one of them..Ha! Losing 10 or 40# is a drop in the bucket. I applaud them that they don't need WLS, but I did. I always say that WLS ISN'T the easy way out, it was the ONLY way out for me.

What do you mean.. ""Iike the gastric"? I revised from band to sleeve II n 2011 and currently maintaining 160# weight loss. Best decision EVER.

How did it go? I am sorry I missed but it was a gorgeous day and I did a four and a half hour ride with pals and didn't make it home till too late. I am interested in joining a future meeting!

Bumps from shaving. Hate auto correct.

Ok. What makes this worse is having a lower body lift. The pubic zone is bigger. I want to do something but I get bulbs from shaving, scared of waxing pain and that leaves laser. I am emailing my plastic surgeon to see if my scars are mature enough to do that or if I need to wait another year...

I have been through heck and back on this topic too. I remember feeling so vulnerable, exposed and like everyone was looking at me when i first got to goal. I think i was just used to being invisible... it kinda freaked me out a little. Now, when a man does a second look, i take it in strike - it is a nice compliment but doesn't really change my world. I think a nice healthy internal reaction on my part. Earlier this week i had a long phone conversation with a man i dated on and off for quite awhile after getting to goal. He was with me when I went through plastics etc. We aren't actively seeing each other anymore, but he said some things that were really good reflections. In his eyes, i always looked good (we met after I was at goal, but heavier than i am now, and pre-plastics) but what he commented on is how much I have changed inside. He told me that I am so much more self confident, happy, self assured - something he finds very attractive. It made me feel good and was a good chance for me to look back and give myself a little pat on the back - not just for the physical changes but the internal ones. It gives me hope that I will now have success in the dating world, finding someone to have a long term relationship with because I am just in a different headspace. The irony is that the less you feel like you "want and need" a partner, the more you value yourself and what you bring to the table, the more attractive you are to them...hmmm

Sorry you are feeling so poorly. We have all been there... Acid does feel like hunger, many of us were put on PPIs for the first few months post op since the tummy produces more than our small capacity needs and it takes awhile to settle down. Also, my NUT told me that the nerves are cut and sensations are wonky/not to be trusted the first approx 6 weeks. In the early months, I ate by the clock and measuring spoon/cup rather than intuitively based on hunger. i did switch to intuitive eating probably 3-4 months post op and have been doing that since then. I am nearly 3 years post op. One thing that helped me get through the gray days was looking at people's before and afters, reading inspiring stories and visualizing success. It helps to keep focus on the why you did this in the first place and what your aspirations and dreams of success are. Down the road, when you are feeling good, looking good, improved health etc., what you are going through now will be a distant memory. Hang in there.

Yes this happened to me. It is getting better as I have been at goal a while now

I feel compelled to respond to this because I see this situation a little differently. I had my sleeve 3 years ago and my insurance did require a psychological evaluation. I was tod the purpose was to assess if I could comply with post op instructions,not screening for addictive behavior. Addiction transference is real and it happens to people who were not addicted to alcohol,gambling etc. Pre weight loss. I lost over 160, and am still maintaining under goal but I say the reason people regain is because over time, it's really really hard. It's hard to fathom this when you are in that amazing first 6-18 months, but at 3 years out I need to eat really small. I have to work out (plagued by injuries). I have to face a social world were as the "trim" chick, food is often pushed at me. I do sometimes stress eat but my main issue with food is that I have to eat pretty low calorie, low carbohydrate to maintain and yet I get hungry. No psychological evaluation helps with that. Anyway, just a different perspective. I do feel that the outstanding education and support provided by my surgeon and staff has been critical to my success. I advise anyone to shop for a surgeon with great follow up if at all possible. Several of the staff, one of the surgeons and anothersurgeons wife were sleeved so they are believers!

You look great! Congrats on your success! !

I had implants and lift. I have full sensation, no visible scars (he put implants in via nipple) but do have Perma nipples "at attention". Weird

You are only 5 weeks....i was just starting solid foods then. Eating meat comfortably will come with time. Take maximum advantage of t h e "barely eat" phase. For social settings I'd probably tell at least a partial truth if asked.. "want to lose weight so eating less."

Ready2be, while I understand your point I also feel a certain. ..obligation to help others through my big changes. Hey these same peeps were pretty cool about accepting me when I was super morbidly obese. I wasn't overweight I was obese. My BMI exceeded 50. I was frankly huge...but I was accepted (for the most part) as a mother, equestrian, career woman, friend and family member. I am grateful for those wonderful people and don't judge them to harshly when they say stupid stuff. It was traumatic for others when I changed so dramatically. I decided it was MY cross to bear to help others through that process. Yes, I got the "you are so tiny" when I was still in double digit clothing. I heard it all. I talked tonight to a man who I dated (and loved..we saw each other for a long time) right after losing all that weight and through my plastics journey etc. He reminded me how much I have changed internally. He never saw the obese cowgirljane, but he saw the one who still felt fat...so..on display. ..so noticed...so..uncomfortable in my own skin. He reminded me how different I am now internally. I also get very few of these remarks anymore. My own sons don't remember how big I got. People who know me now accept me as "me". Many people in my life never saw me obese and can't even imagine it.

You don't feel pain in your stomach. What you might feel is gas pain which is often in your shoulder. It is from the gas they pump in to do the laproscopic surgery. You might also feel naseau from the anesthesia etc. The pain wasn't bad, but I gotta be honest you probably won't feel "great" the first few weeks but it is more the having trouble getting Fluid in etc. Good news is it is very temporary!

I had a miserable time then too. remember that your body is releasing estrogen as you lose weight, making you more prone to extra emotion over it all too. I do think you should ask your surgeon for guidance and to make sure there is nothing physical "amiss" but i also suggest you do some internal work on your own feelings. I HATED not liking food. I felt very isolated. I felt just plain weird. I tell people I began feeling human about 12 weeks out and I can't exactly explain what I even mean by that. What i did was spend time on these forums looking at before and after pictures, visualizing a future of good health, active lifestyle, all those things I hoped WLS would bring to me. It helped... but it took time. Hang in there! I am 3 years out and so happy i did this! I love being half my former size and full of zest and energy for life!

Quiet for 5 days! I had a great weekend, things are going awesome with Kevin. We are having cold clear weather so I am riding again. I need to do 5:2 - who is in?!?

Non of you look fat to me! Seriously consider changing your goal and focus on long term health and maintaining. I personally am done with beating myself up over a number. It's true I would like to re - lose about 5# myself but I am ecstatic in this body right now. I give thanks daily for it.

You have gotten some good ideas but I vote for a "reset". Go back to doing what you used to do. Track on my fitness pal? Go to the gym 4x a week? Whatever it was ...force yourself to pretend you are 4 months post op and really working that sleeve you have been successful and can most certainly continue to be!

I am so happy for you! Best advice I got was at my 1 year check up and surgeon said that year 2 was nearly as important as year one...time to learn maintaining. I took that seriously to heart and continue to treat maintenance seriously ...and it gets a bit harder over time.

Most of use about 500 calories as our fast day; maybe 1200 on feast days. That is an approximation. my goal is 158. I got as low as 140 but never changed it because I need the mental reminder it is OK to weigh in the 150 range. I am not sure about the sleep but I tend to over do the caffeine as an appetite suppression so make sure you aren't doing that. Maybe your body needs time to adjust? 5:2 worked great for me but I had to stop due to some tough times I was going through. Ready to restart though because I love being 140-145 and I am now upper 140s to 150 range....

I was band to sleeve revision and lost 160# post sleeve. First surgeon I went to pushed me to bypass saying my failure with band would be repeated with sleeve. I went to a different surgeon who made a strong case for t h e sleeve and 3 Years out I feel he was right in my case. Point is lots of varying opinions out there. Get a second opinion. My surgeon gave me copies of researc studies to help me learn about actual results over just individual success or failure stories on a forum. What I will say is I was anti bypass 3 years ago. I am so "pro" being slender these days I'd have no problem with bypass if thats what it takes.

TRANSFORMATION. I am truly transformed.

Hadini, your post fits with a recent weird conversation. A good friend of mine was telling me about her cousin (who i have met) who has MORE THAN ONCE interferred with a marriage by the guy "falling in love with her". Apparently, she is really ditzy and helpless - not an act, an idiot.... and for a certain type, they fall over themselves wanting to "save her". It is interesting because i met her and she is average/cute, in her 60s, definately an appealing and fun woman, but not exactly a super model either. It is happening again... the husband of a neighbor is at her beck and call. Example, she was gone for a few months and before she headed back home she called him to vaccum her place because she can't stand the dead bugs. I don't think I have ever been in a relationship with a guy I would ask to do that, much less the husband of a neighbor! I try very hard to be independant, and this little story makes me realize that I need to be true to myself, but perhaps allowing people to see my genuine vulnerability wouldn't be so bad. Perhaps there is something attractive about it.

Yes it does. Embrace the suckage! When i finally got to real food, i was almost scared to eat. Then, I realized my tastes had changed. It was a sad feeling, to not enjoy food anymore. But, what i always tell people is take advantage of the bad early weeks and months to work on changing your relationship with food. It is temporary. I am 3 years out, love everything again. I love being trim even more than food so I work pretty hard to maintain my 160# weight loss! It is so worth it.