CowgirlJane

Love yer hubby! So here is the deal..just smile and let them envy your new hot bod.

Ha..Kindle I keep inviting people to move hay and shovel horse manure with me too! Excellent work out - strength, cardiovascular all in one.

I am sorry Denise but to me that childish temper over you not being at his beck and call is ridiculous. A normal person doesn't get mad because it takes you 5minutes to call him back. Is he a control freak or what? And why would he have gone home...he was the late one for crying out loud. I personally don't need drama kings and queens in my life. We are all terribly flawed but I would rather be permanently single then with someone who stresses me out. Anyway I think you called this one right...it just seems like he wants things his way (like being mad because you couldn't sleep over the noisy CPAP etc) all the time. Having said that we all have baggage. I noticed myself feeling a little uncomfortable because not much contact from Theo since our amazing date on Saturday so I called him. He was so happy to hear from me but knew I was back at work this week and didn't want to bother me too much. Reminded me I need to "let go" of my fear of being ignored like my EX did for so long. It was really hurtful that I felt so unloved by my partner for so long, but it isn't fair to assume it's happening again or that he is that kind of person.

Look at the studies... the risk of GERD post sleeve is significant. I read a study that showed that many people are fine but at 3-6 years out the GERD becomes a big deal. I love my sleeve, but I think you should seriously discuss this situation with surgeons. There are a couple of successful sleevers who have had to revise to bypass over the GERD issue.

I am 5'5" and weighed 272 when banded in 2001; I lost about 70# over a year and never got under 200#. I maintained for awhile, but when I started having horrible reflux I had to have Fluid removed and regained. My lifetime highest weight was 332 in 2005. I weighed 308 the day I started my pre-op diet for the sleeve Dec 1 2011. I weigh 140 right now. I work at it everyday, BUT, it is easier to maintain at 140 now than it was to stay under 300# before. I worked at it before too, I never gave up. I completely understand the fears etc but many of these "questions" are un-answerable. My story won't be the same as yours, and we each need to find our own path, hopefully learning a bit from those who have gone before us. Do not be fooled into thinking that regain is "impossible" - it most certainly is possible with ANY WLS. In the beginning, the weight loss is pretty easy with the sleeve for most people. As time goes on, your personal choices does like 90% of the work but it is so much easier to do that once you have gotten some weight off.

Check out the veterans forum for sleevers. I know there are a few that have been focused on losing a regain. I had a small regain of 5# which oddly felt like 100# at the time - I did 5:2 and high intensity exercise to take it back off. Worked so well, I decided to lose a bit more! Truth of the matter is that the sleeve is still there, going back to basics is probably your best bet.

I find it ... un nerving actually that some of the mecanisms of why WLS works isn't 100% known. ha! I do think that the VSG has a metabolic component as things have changed for me... I am 2.5 years out and my hunger has definately returned but something is very different than it was before. I seem to find that I keep that "different" active by eating a certain way (high protein/ low to moderate carb). I had the lapband previously and did not have that "change" that I have definately experienced post sleeve. I do agree with your rant though - read some studies. When I went for my initial sleeve consult they sent me home with a pile of abstracts to read and it was very helpful in developing my "understanding".

BarnGrl - I "Failed" with the lapband and I can assure you it was devastating. This whole thing being highly personal, painful and all that... applies to all of us. Some of you may notice that I occasionally tangle with someone who implies (or states) that people who fail at WLS lack personal responsibility etc etc... well, I am telling you this whole thing is way more complex than this cowgirl's willpower. People are often successful until they are not and I am so sick of the tendency to "blame the fat girl" for getting fat again! What my new perspective is this - I will not give up. I went into shame/hiding over it when it was clear that I wasn't having success with the band. That did not serve me well AT ALL. If I am unable to maintain my losses I will seek help - whether it be prescriptions, a personal trainer, a hypnotherapist, priest or voodoo doctor. I kid you not, I simply will NOT be shamed into giving up on my health and my new found joy at being able to live a full life. I have been at goal since Feb 2013 (currently under my goal weight) and I in no way think I have somehow won the lottery and don't need to worry anymore. Management of my health is a daily priority for me.

Susie, I don't meant to be discouraging, but my loose skin got worse when I lost more weight, not better. I want you to consider counseling or some other way of dealing with the negative emotions because when I was researching plastics I had phone conversations with several ladies. I was astounded at people expressing... regret or lack of satisfcation with what was obviously great results. I noticed that people who didn't develop a level of acceptance of their bodies pre-plastics weren't all that happy with their results either. That feeling of insecurity and being lost - I had that too. I often felt like people were looking at me. I don't think that plastics fixed any of that... time... time and more time has made me feel comfortable at a slender weight. I just feel normal now which is all I ever dreamed of... It is a great thing.

Michiganchic - when I got to a size 10 I considered myself "at goal" For me that was at 158#. I stayed there for quite a while before I took on losing a few more vanity pounds. Notice that I don't revise my goal weight because I am STILL happy to have made my goal of 158. A major major major accomplishment for someone who used to weigh 332 (my lifetime high). I can't speak for your situation, but I encourage people to really embrace their successes and realize that you "made it baby" even if you feel like another 5 or 10# would be better.

It seems to me a very complex situation for many of us. I too used food to numb me. I went through a bad time with anxiety post hitting goal...alot of it was I had no way to "quiet the noise". I am learning new techniques and tolerances for "feeling bad". Turns out you won't die if you actually feel negative emotions rather than stuff them down with food.

Been maintaining since Feb 2013...and still going strong. I am not deprived, I don't even care about bread etc but when I keep it in the house it can be a trigger. So for me I enjoy it at restaurants but don't keep it in the house generally. My son is home now and we do have bread and cold cereal in the house for him... and I just have to give myself boundaries around it. So far, so good.

I am sorry Denise. I know that you are frustrated with lack of common interests but what is the core of the arguments? As much as I like theo I am self protective about really falling for him... 3 dates, even all day dates, is NOTHING. I really don't know him and realize he could either drop me or turn out to be an ass at any moment. .. I am trying to keep things light for now.

That sounds like a line from Steven. ..ya know the best defense is an offense kinda thing

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I had lots done at once but the arms were not bad. I had lots of help first 3 days in the clinic due to lower body lift. Arms did not hurt and we're my first drains out. I think you can go potty ok by yourself with just arms done. Dr Sauceda puts you in firm compression garments so you are pretty well held together but it takes help to put that baby on I had my caretaker put a few dishes and glasses out on the counter for me so I could get a drink of Water and avoid reaching overhead in the early post op weeks.

I remember a vet sleever saying to treat your sleeve like "a newborn" in the early weeks and months. . It was great advice. Be gentle and back away to easy foods if it gets fussy. It gets better but takes time. Now 2.5 years out I can eat anything never vomit and only rarely feel queasy from over indulgence.

Allie.. I am sorry you have gone through this. I know your pain . I don't agree about deleting this thread however. People can say what they will about me or my story but it's the truth. I don't post to in any way influence the currently banded but rather for pre ops to hear all sides of the story so they have way more info than I did. I fully realize that some are very successful and I applaud them heartily. ..but the band is much harder to live with and I know that to be true. What I notice is that the "band community" seems to blame the patients when things go wrong. It was like that 10 years ago too which shamed me into thinking it was all my fault and that I would fail with any WLS. My only regret is that I beat myself up for so long over it. 10 years of my life I felt like the most miserable excuse of a human who could be obese AFTER WLS. Threads like this let the readers make their own decisions. While it is true I am only one naive revisionista... I have lost over 160# since my revision and am maintaining. That did not happen for me when banded.. so for what it's worth..it is my story and if it helps one other person it's worth it.

Every doc is different - go ask them because you want to be sure that you don't do anything to mess up insurance coverage or whatever. I was very high BMI - over 50 - and all I had to do was the 2 week liver shrinking/low carb diet. It about killed me. Honestly, those 2 weeks plus perhaps the first 3 weeks post op were very very hard for me but it was oh so worth it!!!

Lots of posts in the revision forum. I had the band for 10 years, didn't do well with it - ever. I have been sleeved since Dec 2011 and have been maintaining a large loss since Feb 2013. Good luck!

Ann, i read your comments on the mysteries of "why me?" I find it a puzzle that I am able to eat more and more and maintain still. Like - why aren't I regaining? I do eat healthy, no junky or fast food. I think that something changes once you get rid of the excess fat. i remember doing weight watchers and was freaking starving but couldn't get under about 240. Like, wow, this is as small as I get? It is a mystery to me, but like success breeds success... best I can tell is that "fat breeds fat". this is a simple way of thinking about obesity as a disease process - with the help of the sleeve I got my body fat to a reasonable percentage and then it seems to be easier to maintain versus experiences in the past where I never got to goal and ALWAYS bounced right back up. what my surgeon told me at my 1 year check up is to never forget i still have the disease of obesity, I am just managing the symptoms well right now. That has been a very "clarifying" way for me to think of maintenance. i used to think of weight loss as something you did.. you got to goal... and then lived happily ever after. HA. no, it doesn't quite work that way. I still post and read here as I consider myself still on the "weight management" journey even at goal. Maybe in some ways the support is even more important now that I am at goal.

I had plastics - lower body lift, arm lift, boob job and a "small" thigh lift. i still have excess thigh skin but I can live with it. The picture of me standing next to the horse is what I looked like with no shapewear, weighing about 150 ish (about 10# more than the tractor photo) - pre plastics. I had a bit of a melted snowman look about me didn't I? However, shapewear completely hid that so I okay without plastics too - I just love having a normal looking body without the shapewear!

Premier Protein 30g of protein and only 4-5carbs. Fairly tasty. Have one of those a day and you have made good progress toward your protein goals. My program let me count Protein drinks toward my liquid totals. It is hard the early weeks, but gets easier, i promise. I have lots of other protein favorites, but I am unclear how far out from surgery you are.

When you google hiit, it normally gives sprint routines. I can't really do that due to knee issues, but I can "sprint" on a spinning bike. Spinning is AWESOME way to really burn calories... especially an instructor led one where they kick your butt! I also like Julian Michael's DVDs like "ripped in 30". The only issue i have with her DVDs is that I am too old to do such high intensity stuff without a longer warm up so I pull something like a dance routine from youtube to get me warmed up before doing the DVD. I don't know where you live, but hiking up a steep hill... wow... that is a workout. I need to start doing it alone because most people my age don't wanna sweat and huff and puff that hard so I have to slow up for them. If you are committed to pushing through, you can really get an awesome workout hiking hills.

BarnGirl - there is no perfection, but I make substantially good choices on a regular basis... even now in maintenance. My life has changed beyond belief. I am 50 years old and look better than I have since I was 22. I feel great, I can hike, ride horses like a demon and no longer feel so top heavy and off balance. I remember I used to feel like glass... like a slip or fall would always kill my knee or leave me lame and sore for weeks. I fell off a horse a month ago and somebody said "man you bounced right back on like a teenager!" Luckily... it was soft sand. I do have to work it though - this is no joke. The weight comes off pretty easy at first, but after I lost about 120 or so I had to really work hard to get to my goal weight. I was and remain very motivated. I hit goal in Feb 2013 and weigh about 18 less than that now... so very slowly lost those last 18 "vanity" pounds. I still have fairly significant body pain, sadly that was not fixed by becoming trim.I think a lifetime of super morbid obesity has messed alot of my "frame" up. I have a crooked leg... not sure if that came from carrying so much weight or something else. I have large bones... can't see that from the photos, but I really do. I think that also came from being so heavy most of my life. This is my favorite recent pic of me... those shorts are size 4 and that top is from the juniors "one size fits all". Shocks me as at one time I wore 32W pants!