CowgirlJane

I know the feeling, I have been a frequent business traveler over the last 10 years. One time i was crammed into a tiny seat next to a very tall (6'6") and large (broad shouldered build and overweight) Swiss man. We were both big people so, we had to laugh about it and he was very friendly and socialable so we made the best of it, but wow was that an uncomfortable and long flight for both of us. I also say... don't carry the humiliation, guilt and shame you feel. It is a heavy load and you don't need that! I personally think guilt and shame are unnecessary burdens, on top of everything else an obese person is dealing with!

I was going to buy one for home but I am super picky...lol. None of the ones in my price range felt quite right to be. There are differences in stride length, how smooth they work etc - you have to find one that feels good for your body. The ones at the ymca - I usually use for 30 minutes but the other day I worked out for 70 minutes because i was interesting in the TV show! I was definately lower intensity the last half, but it was still a great endurance type workout! I love elliptical training!

This is why many docs recommend high quality calcium citrate, the body absorbs better then calcuim carbonate.

It is totally unrealistic to expect the really big losses to continue week after week. This is my loss by calendar month, weighing every monday. Month 1 is two weeks of preop diet where I lost 8, and the two weeks post op where I lost 20. Dec 28.4 Jan 12.8 Feb 12.4 Mar 9.4 Apr 13.2 May 10.8

I am not sure I agree with the basic premise... most of us transitioned to "food" in 4-6 weeks post op. I don't doubt there are a few programs that are focused on shakes for an extended period of time, but I really don't think it is typical. Now, my NUT does have us use shakes are bars because it is so hard to get the Protein in, but it is still a real food based program. I also disagree with the premise that you lose more weight faster by having just shakes for so long. I have done liquid diets and besides the going insane factor, after awhile the weight loss slows down. I lost weight faster post sleeve, on real food then I did on my medially supervised fast that nearly drove me over the edge those years ago. I also found that as soon as I started eating again after the liquid diet i regained fast!

The heck with guilt! Negativity is not a helpful tool for your success, it just drags you down and makes you feel bad. You know, we do all have a personal responsibility for the choices we make, HOWEVER, when you are morbidly obese there are metabolic issues at work here. They drive you to EAT and to hang onto the weight no matter how strong your willpower. No matter how you got to this weight, your odds of losing and keeping off large amounts of weight are really small - like 5% or less - without the surgery. It is a tool, don't feel guilty, feel THANKFUL that it is available for us. I for one feel truly blessed to have this opportunity. And don't for one minute think that it is "the easy way out". There isn't anything easy about it, and frankly it takes work and some sacrifices, but I view it as "the only way out." I have gushed on about this many times on this forum, but I can't even begin to express how joyful, thankful and excited I am to regaining the body and health that I deserve to have. All the surgical scars, loose skin and Protein drinks are nothing compared to the joy I feel when I can gallop my horse again, or go for a 3 hour hike with my 20 year old son or just fit comfortably in an airplane seat. This is living the dream! Tell me now, which lady looks more comfortable and enjoying her life??? After 85+ pounds lost:

I was the queen of terror as it relates to surgery - but came through with flying colors! The worst part was I was very sore where the port was. No, the worst part is I got super, stupid, even worse then before hungry all the time after the band was out. That pushed me over the edge to get that sleeve though! My prayers will be with you - but I know you will come through with flying colors!

I don't really know, I just know that although they removed the really stretchy part of the stomach, it is possible. I suspect that much of the regain is from people grazing, eating too often, eating the wrong foods, not being active, not following the sleever rules - not just from too much at one sitting. My doctor did say that you can stretch it enough to lose that feeling of good restriction pretty easily. I think you can also potentially cause esophagal dialation if you get over full too regularly. Sounds weird, but the smaller I make my portions, the less hunger, the less acid I feel. Yesterday I splurged a little and I don't feel as well today so I am back on track with tiny portions! I am sure you are aware, but those first weeks are so critical to avoid being over full while you are still healing to reduce risk of complications.

I am so terribly sorry. I lost my baby sister 5 years ago, the recovery from that... well... it is slow. You have my prayers.

I am coming up on 6 months out and I sometimes have half or quarter of a sandwich (one slice of bread or less). I only eat an organic whole grain bread so it is not empty calories - I love Dave's Killer bread. It is true that it shouldn't be a staple since it doesn't have enough protein, but I don't see it as bad for you, just wait until you are far enough along to handle it, keep the portions small and and have it only occasionally.

Just a warning, I had just two symptoms - the main one being really tired some days, but not all days. I also snored some, but not enough to bother hubby. That's it, none of the others. I was diagnosed with SEVERE sleep apnea,so even if you have fewer then 4 of the below, don't completely rule it out. Of course, hubby sleeps like the dead so he may not have noticed some of the symptoms.

I was filled with terror. I put off the decision for a long time, mostly because I fear all medical procedures. It wasn't actually nearly as bad as I had feared it would be and I am so glad I went for it. Look at my stats, dropping 85+ pounds since December, wow - I am now starting to live a life that i want - it was so worth it! A week before the surgery I had my final appointment with the surgeon. I told him that I was totally committed to doing this, I knew I needed it, but I was having a hard time controlling my anxiety. It would hit me at night when trying to fall asleep especially, and it was escalating... getting worse and worse the closer I got to the date. He gave me a mild sedative that I used for the next week right before bedtime and it made a huge difference! Being able to sleep helped me feel better overall so the anxiety started to lose it's grip on me. By the day of the surgery, I was a little worried, but my much stronger feeling was "Let's do this!!! Can't wait to get started and lose this weight." Just having a little help getting my anxiety under control really turned it around and I went into the operating room (unmedicated) with normal vital signs and not feeling that crushing anxiety feeling. I remember talking to the anesthesialogist and actually being more curious about things then fearful. I think I need to get that for dental work too - I really am a medicalphobe.

Welcome! My experience is that the sleeve is much better then the band. I don't have any of the problems I had with the lapband.

A bit of advice, stop being so focused on the scale, on how you "compare" to what you PERCEIVE to be expected weight loss. Focus on the journey, new habits, following the rules. Focus on your new life that will becoming so real as the pounds come off. I personally went through a bit of a "malaise" when I was about 6-8 weeks out. I am not sure why... but maybe it was because I had gone through it all, i was still pretty dang fat, nobody could see the difference and I didn't like that food didn't taste good anymore. I was also SOOO tired. My advice on the exhaustion is to get plenty of sleep, be sure you are getting adequate fluids and try to do at least some gentle exercise because that will actually help your energy pick up. I would say that my energy wasn't really back to normal until I was two months out. You will find, that one day you are wearing clothes several sizes smaller, people are saying "wow, you look great" and you notice you can move and do things so much easier. It is like it just takes a while but it really does add up and in a few more months i promise you will feel better. Just keep on following the rules and keep the faith.

There must be other hospitals where you can have the surgery! Maybe it is my age, I don't know, but i have reached the point where it just doesn't matter much what others think. They weren't the ones hauling around an extra 150# like I was... they weren't the ones facing the health issues.. physical pain and of course losing the ability to do the stuff I want to do. Even so, have the surgery somewhere else. When you lose weight and people comment, just smile and thank them for noticing and walk away. When they ask why you eat so little, tell them you are on a a diet where you eat smaller portions more times per day and trying to get healthier - if you feel the need to say anything at all. This is your struggle, this is your journey and if people wont support you, the heck with em, it is none of their business!

I was diagnosed with sleep apnea a few years ago. What I was told is that there is no increased risk DURING surgery, it is the first 24 hours after because the after effect of the anethesia suppresses your breathing. This has really become a big deal since so many surgeries are outpatient now (I am talking all surgeries, not specific to sleeve). Anyway, I took so long to decide to get the sleeve, that the rules changed while I was in the process. I too had to stay the night and the main reason was to monitor my oxygen level. In my case, it never went below like 96 even though i did doze off a few times without my CPAP. Some people have a really bad attitude toward being treated for their sleep apnea. I was reading local death statistics. I was amazed at how many people that are not exactly elderly (40s-60s) die of "natural causes." I think that means drop dead due to no obvious illness - and I often wonder how much of that is rooted in sleep apnea? That condition increases your odds of so many issues (stroke, obesity etc). Anyway, it made me take it seriously.

Concerning, considering most of us are told to take high quality Calcium supplements (calcium citrate) http://health.yahoo.net/experts/dayinhealth/calcium-supplement-linked-higher-heart-attack-risk

I did a two week very low carb diet prior to surgery. I could eat food and I still thought it was really tough! Probably the toughest thing was actually coming to grips with the decision to proceed. I was pretty torn, I knew I needed something, but I didn't really want to do it. The worst single moment was waking up from the surgery. My first memory was of some mean people (haha) making me get up to walk to another recliner to rest on. They said, the sooner you walk, the better you will feel. At that moment, if I had the strength, I would have slapped somebody. lol. I felt better in a few minutes. Maybe because I was expecting the worst.... overall things weren't as bad as I expected them to be!

I think most of us are nervous about "failing" a second time. I had the band for 10 years and was not successful. The band is not a great tool, but I spent some time reflecting on how I contributed to the less then stellar results. I feel that thinking about that, and vowing to not repeat those same mistakes has helped me so far in my success the sleeve. I have heard that some revisions don't do that well - because they have become desensitized to having a "full" feeling up near the espophogus. I don't know if that is true, but i had pouch dialiatino pretty bad after my 10 years with the band, so I guess that applies to me. i have been super aware and really taking seriously the eating rules. I also picked a medical practice that has tons of followup. I didn't get that with the band (just fills and unfills) and I think that has also helped me. I have lost 85+ pounds since I started my preop diet Dec 1 (lost 8 pounds before my surgery on 12/12/11). I am really happy with that progress, the nutrionalist says that is every bit as good as a typical sleeve patient so i have so far avoided making those mistakes.

Don't be embarrassed! Stalls are a normal part of this jouney and one about 2-3 weeks out hits most people. Here is a short article that explains it well: http://www.dsfacts.com/weight-loss-stall-or-plateau.html

YES! I have written a few long posts about how this has changed my life - in summary, I am living a life I want to live now. I started out 150 pounds overweight - it is pretty hard to emjoy a full life carrying that load. I have had no serious complications and LOVE being free of the overwhelming drive to eat.

I do high intensity Water aerobics most every Tuesday and Thursday. On Tuesday, my swimsuit about fell off (I bought it in February when I was still about a 24W or thereabouts) so when I saw that Macys had clorine resistant suits for 50% off I had to snap one up. I was so excited to pick a black suit with hot pink trim including a zipper up the front! My inner thighs are gross so I wear these sorta bicycle short things under the suit. the total effect isn't too hideous. The suit I had before was a tankini worn with shorts which was great at first, but when it got too big, it was a little bit of a train wreck. It did cover my thighs, but I was in danger of stepping out of the pool and leaving the suit behind - something I DON'T want to have happen! Anyway, NSV #1 - I fit into and 18! Not an 18W, and actual honest to goodness 18! I started in the 26W range, and what a difference! NSV #2 - I had 3 people in my water aerobics class come up and tell me how good I looked, how i must have lost weight suddenly and how much they liked the suit. I saw these same people on Tuesday, but wearing a dumpy looking too big suit just isn't flattering and they really noticed the difference. I am starting to feel so much closer to "normal" sized even though I still have a lot to lose.

What a great post! I admire any of you that can succeed at losing anything in the 6 months pre-op phase. It wasn't required by my insurance, and I was actually GAINING weight in the months leading up to surgery. My eating was out of control and no matter what i tried, i just couldn't seem to reign it in. I too am so happy with my sleeve and will be six months out June 12. These are happy days!

Exercise will tone muscles, but I am skeptical that it solves loose skin. I started much bigger then you, but my problem is more my inner thighs and stomache and arm batwings. My butt is shrinking, but not having any problem with sagging ... yet. I strength train and all that and under the fat and lose skin I can definately tell I am getting toned muscles under there. I suggest elliptical, or if you walk, hills will really help too. You can do squats, lunges and a number of other good exercises too. check out this link http://exercise.about.com/od/butthipsthighs/tp/butt.htm

If you started out with a small amount to lose, losing 35 pounds in two months might be a really good rate of weight loss! If you started out with 70# to lose - that is half!!! I can't see your stats, so I don't know if that is your situation, but consider thinking in terms of excess weight lost instead of just number of pounds. Some of the really big guys can lose like 60 or more in a single month!!! It is just not fair to compare yourself to others, especially if they have more to lose, are younger, etc etc. I had a failed lapband that was implanted in 2001. i wasn't really successful with that, and while I can blame the band for it's failings, the truth of the matter is I contributed to that lack of stellar success because I didn't really know how to properly use the tool to it's full advantage. I can go on and on about that, but a couple of the things that really held me back was thinking I could still eat like people around me did, just small portions. Small portions - ha! i would go to a business lunch and not even be able to clear a spot on my plate before needing to hurl. It was awful and humiliating I now understand and keep myself out of those situations - early out, I need to eat REALLY small portions. A few years out, maybe it is different, but for right now I avoid social situations that are beyond my ability to manage the food. (It is easier though with the sleeve for lots of reasons and I don't hurl when I eat at a public event). Another mistake I made was believing some of the conventional wisdom at the time. I lost 70# in the first year, lots of exercise, trying to diet etc. I was told by a nurse and "experienced bandster" that if I didn't lose 100# in the first year, I had pretty much failed. What the !$%?? I fell for that and felt like a failure even after losing 70#. It is all well and good that a doctor is disappointed with your weight loss, too bad, makes his stats look bad? In my mind, the thing to do is follow the rules, follow the guidelines and your body will lose on it's own sweet timeline. So what if it takes longer then other people's preconceived notions? Ok, i see what yo mean by eating normal foods. I eat dinner with my family. That is pretty much all homecooked, but we do occasionally have a restaurant meal or a frozen entree (at home convenience food). I personally have made the choice to basically avoid fast food but that is just because I eat so little - i want the good stuff! Of course, sometimes it is all there is available. Due to work and school, we don't tend to share other meals and Snacks. I veer off course from what they are eating then - especially the snacks. I have a Protein snack and they tend to have junk food or dessert or fruit for snacks. I moved all the snacky foods to a special cabinet that I just don't open the door. Before that, i was sampling chips or crackers or a cookie from time to time - and it wasn't what I really wanted it is just the visual cue set me off. The drinking with eating thing... I am told that is a big deal. What is strange is that it has two problems that are almost opposites. First, it can make you too full (without you maybe realizing it) and an overfull tummy will start to lose its feeling of restriction. That is a bad thing, a little bit of stretching that happens over a period of time. The opposite problem is that a tummy that has had liquids shortly before eating seems like some "slider" foods go down too easy and you might overeat. We all have to make our choices, and I personally have found this one of the hardest changes to make but I have made it. I "failed" with a lapband and I have learned my lesson and more, again, my personal decision to be pretty strict about following the guidelines. In the past, I have always drank Water with meals. In fact, I have always drank a very large glass, with meals. I wonder in restrospect if that is how I made my stomach so big before surgery? I think it is very normal to get hungry 3 hours after eating - I generally do. The key is to plan meals and snacks around that so you are not tempted to have BLTs (you know, bites, licks and tastes) or graze. A high protein snack like beef jerky or whatever you like will fill that stomach and make it easier to avoid snacky food. This journey requires ALOT more planning then how i used to eat. Actually, I think that was my fundamental problem before. I would get over hungry and then not be able to resist eating whatever was convenient and/or have too big of portions. One time, since being sleeved, I came home famished after about 6-7 hours of not eating and I had been out doing trail riding with my friends - so exerting energy in that whole process (more then just riding, horse stuff takes exertion!). I came home and started to eat something and I realized I was just about inhaling it. I removed myself from the kitchen and gave it 20-30 minutes for my brain to catch up so I didn't over eat. It was really hard though because I was starving and when you eat fast, you don't give your stomach a chance to report to the brain that it is full. I really try to eat a snack now if I am more then about 3-4 hours since eating, especially if I have been exercising or otherwise exerting. For what it is worth I have a few suggestions. If you don't journal your food (100%!) start doing that. If you don't weigh and measure - start doing that too. I am 5 1/2 months out and I eat about 1/2 cup of food at a time if it is relatively dense, a bit more if it is something that smushes down alot when you chew it. What this can do is make you really deliberate on what you are eating, quantity at a time, how much protein, how much water etc. If you are already weighing, measuring and recording obsessively (I was) consider stopping that for a while. My nutrtionalist has me use tiny plate, my "bowl" is 4 oz filled to the rim and I eat with appetizer utinsils. Because I always use those, I can estimate serving sizes pretty well. It sounds crazy, but my weight loss rate picked up again AFTER I stopped recording food! The NUT felt I was eating "by the numbers" rather then listening to my body. Now, I try to stop when I am no longer hungry (not waiting until I am full). I don't know if I am eating more or less than I was before, but it is working. My biggest downfall is I want to eat late in the evening. I know it is a bad habit, but I haven't been able to break it. What I do instead is plan a snack for it. I used to just try to resist and then I would eat anyway.... now it is part of my overall "daily plan" . I truly believe that kicking the exercise intensity up is what is helping me keep losing now. I realize I could hit a long stall at anytime and it will bum me out.... everytime I see a slowdown in my average weekly weight loss (I don't worry about a single week, I am talking about trends here) I change SOMETHING up. So far, that has worked. I lost more weight in months 4 and 5 then I did months 2 and 3 and alot of that is figuring some of this stuff out. So, I am sorry if this sounds like a lecture. I don't mean it that way, but I made alot of mistakes when I was banded and I am working hard to not repeat that. I am sharing what I learned from the school of hard knocks so hopefully others can benefit from some of my education without having to do it themselves.