CowgirlJane

My OPINION you should completely avoid booze during the weight loss phase. Empty calories and not gentle on your baby sleeve. I had a tiny glass of wine at my sis' 40th anniversary party about 4 months post op and it burned...not good. There are more reasons I feel so strongly about this point.... I so strongly advocate making the most of that first year but I had so much to lose (150 plus) maybe I am more radical about it. I am over 2 years out and maintaining since Feb 2013 and I do drink cocktails. I have a vodka with soda.water and muddled limes once a week - a happy hour treat with my dear friend. Usually with food (i know I am breaking all my own rules here). That gives me no problem but be careful... I had a couple of incidents of having multiple drinks and getting really unexpectedly intoxicated withOUT any of the "sick" - I see why sleevers might get addicted to booze. I admit this with some disappointment in myself. On a recent vacation I had 3 (apparently strong) drinks and actually blacked out part of that day. Luckily I was in good hands with dear friends and a designated driver but it scared me. Booze and no food...very very very bad combination for sleevers. Trust me it is a shocker..as a woman who spent much of my life in the 240-300 range I could handle a few drinks no problem..different now. Be careful.

This is a good thread. There is a lot of variation on what program or protocol a particular surgeon uses. I like evidence based medicine ... meaning, they may not KNOW everything (and they surely don't!) but they have a particular reason for each of the things they ask us to do and not do. I decided to sign up for a program and then actually follow it even if it differs from what others on this forum were asked to do by their program. In the couple of years since my VSG, even my practice has changed a few things... they continually refine and improve. I love getting PMs from newbies and I want to support everyone the same way that others support me. I struggle with ones that basically read "what is the secret to your success?" I am tempted to write down the 101 things that worked for ME, but the truth of the matter is it boils down to something much simpler. I picked a surgeon with a very good track record and a very good comprehensive follow up program - and I complied the very best I could and sought out support when I struggled. The details under that almost don't matter... So, back to the original point... ask the WHYs and clarify the WHATs from your program/surgeon/NUT/coordinator or whatever. If you picked a practice that has an outstanding track record of success - that is your best ticket to your own success, not what some invisible online cowgirl or PDxdude told you.

my NUT told me that probiotic would help with weight loss but I never seriously tried it. Wonder if it makes sense to try during maintenance?

All those saltines would make me gain water weight. I have an appointment with a sports medicine doctor next week. I have been waiting forever for my thigh to heal but massage therapist thinks hip flexor might actually be torn. Must be spring...rode again today. This time all by myself and had a great time. I rode my old horse and led the pony along. I had 3 guys that were out walking or running stop to talk to me. I think when I decide to "date" again this might work better than POF etc...haha I haven't done much with pony since before plastics but he was really good.

I did the 3 day breast cancer walk in 2007. I weighed about 250 at the time. A running shoe store had a podiatrist come in once a week for free consultation. I learned that a soft squishy bottom felt good but I needed a much firmer support shoe. I have a very high arch and my foot pronates or rolls out. It made all the difference to get a shoe to address my unique foot made all the difference. .. I walked those 60 miles in 2 two different pair of the shoes i bought there. By the way, being comfy in more fashionable shoes is a huge NSV!

That list covers key things I did to lose the last 40-50....The first 110- 120 or so pounds came off pretty steadily.

Some of you have probably heard about the big landslide in the next county north of Seattle. This is a great photo illustration: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/03/26/us/houses-in-the-path-of-the-washington-mudslide.html?_r=2

The only time it is "nothing" with me is when I am under medical orders to not do anything. I was even like that as on obese person! haha. I need chill pills if anything. Riding all day long 2-3 days in a row is no big deal for me, I think I made a mistake in how I jumped down on Sunday - probably combined with the after effect of skiing is what is causing my knee pain. The thigh thing - that is due to the trainer at the gym and I am having a hard time forgiving. And yes Dorrie, I wonder why I can't be just happy to be alive and have a job and a good family and friends. I AM happy, I think I just keep expecting it to turn into stars and fireworks or something. My own theory is that I don't have the food to "calm me down" anymore and I just haven't found a new balance. Oh well - I really am doing fine, I just want EXCELLENT and I am tired of settling. I think finding the right balance - I "settled" too much in the past and probably not enough in my present. I'll get there.

I have bits of a family tree too. My great grandmother was named pearl and she was full blooded Chickasaw Indian. That is all I really know on my dad's side although they are speculated to be German/Irish/English blend on top of that. My mother's lineage is fairly well known back a few centuries.... they haven't been in America that long... migrated from England in the late 1800s down one branch and from Ireland down another branch. My mom had the fairest skin, the bluest eyes and nearly black hair - a look I associate as being "celtic" looking. I have had a series of bad news shared by friends over the last few days. M's mother has advanced stage 4 cancer T's mother died on Wed after a long illness (alzehiemers) J's mothers cancer is back - now stage 4 My friend K has decided to leave her husband of 30 years. They are raising a granddaughter who is 5 which i think has triggered alot of old hurts at what a selfish guy he is who expects K to do everything while he reclines on the chair every evening. At least he is employed, although she has a more lucrative career. Another couple of friends are my age and very unhappily married, though no kids. If their husbands turn up dead I will be suspicious, if you know what i mean. You know what is sort of depressing to me? I have a really good life and i keep thinking that as I sort of recover from it all - the new body, the separting from my ex etc that I will really FEEL it. Really feel how wonderful it is. As best I can tell, most people (at least women near my age) have some sort of angst / major unhappiness / unsatisfactory element of their lives. I am coming to the conclusion that maybe "this is as good as it gets" which is sorta a bummer. I have always been a grateful person, meaning low expectations and happy when things at least don't suck. I need to "refind" that mindset. I think it is good that my standards are higher now.... but maybe too high. I had a super busy weekend and my knees and leg injury (from trainer at gym) are freaking killing me. I may have overdone it starting with the skiing all day thursday and then riding horses all day sat and sunday. The pain didn't start until Sunday night so I think I jumped off my horse wrong on Sunday and then it cascaded... grrr. HAPPY MONDAY!!!

Further experience has shown me that a poor night's sleep is the number one predictor of mood swings the next day.

Syntrax has tons of flavors and is low carb, but yes, use a whole scoop. Premier Protein are premade, sold at costco. chocolate & strawberry are delicious!

Some ladies get a lift and reduction or just a lift. My boobs nearly disappeared with weight loss but they were still in the right place..Haha..just no breast tissue...all skin. Much better now that Dr Sauceda fixed em!

I have lost about 160 since my revision. I took a ppi to prevent excessive acid the first few months as per surgeon recommendation but have had no problems since. My surgery was Dec 2011 I feel that you do need to be sure not to bring bad habits from the band into your sleeve life. Example there is no reason to vomit with the sleeve. Don't eat to a full sensation. Just absence of hunger. I strongly suggest you research the pros and cons by looking at pub med etc for actual studies.

Ok..He isn't you..This is your choice. I was told I was at my goal at around 175 due to my history at a BMI over 50. Glad I kept going...very happy at 150... 5'5" with large frame

LOVE IT

I believe you and I appreciate you sharing so people can make informed decisions.

I am so sorry this happened to you - you placed your trust in people and they let you down. It does sound very shady or at least very misunderstood... very scary. I am glad you were finally taken care of by a good doctor and had good outcomes. I did plastics in Mexico and I guess the moral of all these stories is that we need to very carefully research including talking to other patients. Many many Mexican surgeons are excellent but the opportunity for misunderstandings and apparently out and out fraud exist. BTW, I had a USA doctor try to defraud me several decades ago. I never did the procedures he said I needed because I was suspicious and got a second opinion who was astounded it had ever been recommended to me. He was eventually arrested and I saw him in the paper over it! scary scary stuff realy.

I really question this... I thought that it was long well known that being skinny helped with longevity. I suspect it depends on the REASONS for being underweight. Being a junkie that never eats versus someone who is naturally thin, stays active etc.

CBT - I think I had more swelling AFTER 12 weeks because my activity increased. It is pretty good now though at 5 months out. I realized that I have alot of numbness between the belly button and the incision line and that tended to make me feel more swollen than I really was/am. anyway, I was also told it can take a year before the swelling is completely resolved. I am grateful that mine is minor and only in the one spot - no problems on my legs etc. I have maintained my weight even though i spent weeks being ravenously hungry. It was hard to manage that really - boredom combined with hunger is not good! I know some people lose weight during that period, but beware because a couple ladies i know actually gained 10-15 # due to being so hungry. Very individual... but i am generally pretty good at gaining weight!

I think you stand a high chance of regain once your band is removed based on people I know. (I had the lapband for 10 years and used to be part of a bandster community). I personally think you should find a surgeon well experienced with revisions and have a detailed consult. One question I would ask is what the results are for a low BMI person. With the sleeve or bypass, what do you think chances are of getting to a goal weight? What are the risks of losing too much (foreign concept to me, but I have heard it can happen with low BMI people especially) Surgeons really are practicing medicine and don't have all the answers but it is still good to get their views - first one I went to wouldn't even talk to me about revising to sleeve because my BMI was over 50 and I had already "failed' with the lapband. I found another who had very good success with patients with my profile and I went for the sleeve revision. It was the BEST DECISION EVER. I am maintaining a 160 pound loss - truly changed my life.

My 22 year old son is an advanced snowboarder; I am just learning to ski. Yesterday i managed to ski an entire day without dying of exhaustion; albeit on beginner runs not double diamonds! I can't imagine doing that back when I was obese! (although I am pretty tired today!) It is wonderful to be able to do stuff like that with your kids and I am saddened I couldn't do more of it when they were little.

I felt very educated - my surgical practice was excellent about that and I spent alot of time reading on here too so I guess I don't have any surgery related "wish I had known" My wish I had known was how much I was missing out on life being morbidly obese. I was pretty active for a 300# person, had friends and what I thought was a pretty good social life. I had NO IDEA there is a whole world out there of people who don't have to worry about if their butt will fit in a chair, if a store will carry a clothing size that fits, or if they can do a particular activity "even at that size" - it is like a parrallel universe where fit and normal size people get to live..haha. I feel like a kid again - wish I had known all of this and maybe I would have found a way to change my life years earlier.... not sure, but that is really the only thing i could think of that I wish I had really known years before.

I am sorry for all of you that are not physically 100%. I do seriously struggle with getting cold but I feel wonderful since losing the weight - super high energy and I think it is a sign of something not being quite right if you don't feel better than you felt as an obese person. Now, post plastics, I was exhausted again. That was a kick ass surgery and I recommend to any vets considering to be sure you go into it as fit and strong as possible as it will knock you back a few steps! I am 5 months out now and though i am 90% returned to normal... it has been a slow road - worth it though!

I posted via my phone, wearing my contacts (hard to see close up with them in) and that post is GONE. Let me know if I accidently put it somewhere else..haha.. in my blind state. Denise, I read the changed wording and I think it looks fine. I was wondering though about members when I went to that title page, i saw a new member from Sept 2013 that I don't ever remember reading posts. I really am uncomfortable with the idea of lurkers here that don't (or haven't ever) participated - I am not talking about LV who is taking a break - i am talking about the people we don't even know. Sorry, but in my book that would include Susan too even though I know she is an admin. This is a very private space and it bothers me that there are people that can read here that I have never heard of. That is my 2 cents. also sorry also to hear about the tiff with Bill - hope it leads to better things. I know how important using a CPAP is medically, but I feel like he is very inconsiderate to your concerns on this particular topic anyway. I suspect that how this is resolved may reveal a great deal about him. Anyway, I am the last person to give relationship advice as my "give a damn is busted" - I have zero tolerance at the moment for meeting someone part way. Even Steven - he bought yet another car (one of his many expensive hobbies) - and I am so close to saying I never ever wanna hear about his money woes again...LOL... there is a limit to being an ear to listen to woes that you cause yourself buddy! More on the skiing... wow, what a difference. first, I admit I had 3 left over Xanax from before and I took one about an hour before the lesson. Even with that I was feeling terrified and I was really worried I would just hit freak out again once we went up the ski lift. I knew that the classes would be less crowded in the spring and I went down and chatted up the instructors before the 10 am start time. I know this sounds manipulative, but I was intentionally very charming while explaining my fears and what had happened to me back in December. The instructor I got was a man about my age who was lobbying to have just me in his class but at the last minute two ladies showed up that were deemed at my level so it was 3 of us. It worked out great. One of the girls actually already knew how to ski pretty well and so half way through she was taken into another group. This instructor was very patient and he recognized that my skills were better than the other lady remaining but that I just needed to do things over and over to feel safe. Another thing he explained to me was how different the snow conditions are now versus December. Due to deeper snow the beginner run is much easier/less steep AND the snow is slower. And, he actually taught me how to get on and off the lift without getting killed - that was a stress reliever too. Anyway, we did two runs together down the beginner run (which is steeper at this particular resort versus the one closer to Seattle but they have more snow and longer season is why I wound up at Stevens Pass). I did great - maybe fell twice or something - not bad at all. The other lady did a little skiing backwards (not intentionally) and overall had alot more problems then I did which gave me time to stop, pause, think which really helped with the anxiety. then, after the two hour lesson I had lunch with my son and went back out for another 3 hours and just did that same run over and over again. By the end, I could do the whole thing without stopping, without falling. I felt like I was really actually skiing even though clearly still a beginner, it was actually fun! One of the things this instructor had us do is ski down this road where we practiced going "all out" - which wasn't that fast as it wasn't super steep - and then slowing down. At the bottom there was a big section where there was nothing to hit and he told us to just go as fast as we felt safe doing. That helped so much because later, as I was practicing on my own, I could identify sections of the ski hill where I could do that and just knowing I could slow or stop myself - using various techniques - gave me the courage to let myself pick up speed. My son mentioned back in December that skiing was going to be a great way to meet guys my age...haha... because there are so many of them out there skiing or snowboarding by themselves. (course who knows, right?) One such guy tried to strike things up with me as he was maybe a tiny bit more experienced then me but was also a begginner. Anyway, that was kind of entertaining I guess but my main focus was learning to ski. There is maybe another month of snow left at Stevens Pass so I hope to go 1-2 more times so that starting next season I can actually take a class and get to the intermediate level and then I will be content with just knowing how to ski.

Denise I think what you wrote is fine. I did see a list of new members....who is LisasHope? I have said it before I am uncomfortable with members we have never really heard from. LV does not fall in that bucket because she was very active before taking a break. Sorry about the tiff with Bill over the CPAP. They are so important to use but his attitude about how it impacts the quality of your sleep is not good.