Sleeved&Hopeful

Look at you! Look at your waist--it's definitely shrunk a lot. Your face looks great. You were cute before and you are still cute. You're only 5 months out--imagine how good you're going to feel in a year. Keep up the great work and keep doing what you're doing.

Hey hun you can do this! If you do use creamer, don't just keep pouring it in there! Measure out 1tbsp or 2 and put it in that way. If you keep pouring it in you could be consuming more than you think. My advice also? Get some snacks that are healthier. I have beef jerky, pork rinds (zero carbs), and almonds. I also measure out how much I'm going to take and don't get too much. I recently read a study on pubmed that said VSG rats (yeah I know, weird that they were doing VSG on rats haha) on low carb higher fat diets kept off more weight than rats who ate higher carb. I think that's true. I really think a lot of people who are obese are uber carb sensitive. Not everyone, mind you. Obviously there are some people who can handle carbs with ease. But a lot of us can't. Also, start tracking on myfitnesspal. And for exercise, that is so easy. When I'm having a lazy day and not a lot of energy, I'll just get up and start doing push ups or jumping jacks or jump rope exercises during commercials LOL.

This thread is the freaking bomb yo! I don't check in on VST daily anymore but I'm starting to reconsider that

Well my BMI was 38 when I went into surgery. Every few years I went up a few more pounds. My BMI just kept getting higher and higher. I was getting more and more sluggish and tired. I had diabetes type 2 thrown at me too, which didn't help. Some people feel comfortable at a BMI of 38, but I sure as hell didn't. Not enough energy for my family, I'm afraid. I figured diabetes was just the first comorbidity I was going to get. High blood pressure was on its way too, being that I was borderline high before the sleeve. I decided to nip this weight gain in the bud because I knew in 10 more years i would have a 50 BMI, no doubt in my mind. The sleeve was the best thing I ever did for myself for my health. My diabetes is in remission, my BMI is 20.5, and I feel much more active and energetic. It boils down to how you feel. Do you feel tired? Do you have joint pain? Are you slower than you'd like? Are you just going to keep gaining more and more weight until you ARE a 50 BMI? Why not stop the weight gain dead in its tracks? I want to add that I am very sorry for all of those who had complications. Unfortunately, it can happen. It's a small chance but someone has to be in that percentage and it sucks if it's you. I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. I figured the risk to reward ratio was worth it for me. You have to decide the same for yourself and yourself only.

And I gotta agree--socioeconomic status doesn't matter when it comes to surgery experience! One lady I know had surgery here in Texas and came home with a leak and her surgeon thought she was just being whiny!! They did NO leak tests at the hospital. I was absolutely mortified. Even Dr. Almanza's team does a leak test!! They only found the leak after she was almost septic!! Absolutely scary! There are some surgeons in Mexico that could run circles around the docs here in the states! Dr. Aceves is one of those!! I went with a friend to Dr. Aceves and the hospital is amazing, Dr. Aceves is absolutely wonderful and very very experienced probably moreso than most, and the staff is absolutely phenomenal. Mexico can be a MUCH better experience than the STATES if you choose the right doctor.

I am a little surprised by the naked people but the rest of the stuff mentioned is not really a big deal. I am feeling pretty glad that I was on my lady time of the month during my surgery because I got to wear underwear lol. Hopefully no one saw anything but maybe boobs! Anyway not everyone's experience can be 100% stellar. I had a fairly good experience, but it was NOT great. I used Dr. Almanza. I really think Dr. Almanza is absolutely fantastic. I got a great sleeve surgery done by him. I still have fabulous restriction at 13 months post op. I mean, I am absolutely thrilled with it. However, my issues were with the facility itself and not with the surgeon. I think Dr. Almanza is absolutely fantastic. My problem is that they sometimes book 8-9-10 surgeries in a day. There were 7 surgeries the day I went and things went okay overall but some of the folks that came with me had to wait until VERY late in the evening before receiving surgery. Any more than that and it would have probably been too chaotic. A few of the nurses were great, a few were inattentive. The facility is also subpar--it is very tiny. I would say budget low rate. I think doing more than 6 surgeries in a day for a surgeon is a bad idea. That is my issue. I think Dr. Almanza would be much better off using a hospital facility and not booking more than 5 or 6 surgeries MAX. I also would have preferred him to use dissolving stitches instead of the kind that have to be removed when you come home. I think sometimes it is the FACILITY and not the DOCTOR. I stand by my testimonial that Dr. Almanza is absolutely fantastic and KNOWS what he's doing beyond a shadow of a doubt. I also think he'd be better off using a hospital and lowering the amounts of surgeries he does per day. I guess what I'm getting to is was the DOCTOR excellent? Do you feel he performed your sleeve well? Were the nurses good/attentive? The rest of the stuff is just minor. I commend you for posting about some of the negatives though. Although they aren't really that negative lol :-). People sometimes just don't want to hear ANYTHING negative, and that's just silly. There are positives and negatives with every surgery experience. I had a less than great experience with a plastic surgeon right here in Texas. He was not very good and I would not recommend him. I walked right out of his office and never went back, before he ever did anything on me. Bad experiences can happen anywhere. I could have absolutely paid for the plastic surgery right here in the U.S. with that crappy doctor, but I am now choosing to spend my money elsewhere. Guess where? Mexico! I am choosing Dr. Sauceda in MX who is absolutely wonderful. He is far cheaper than in the U.S. but it's not about price. I could use any plastic surgeon in the area that I want. But I am choosing to use him because he's sooo good. I tried to give my money to a local plastic surgeon, but could find none that were as good as Dr. Sauceda! His results on plastic surgery are way better than any photos I saw from the docs around here. As far as Dr. Garcia, i've heard almost all positive. I hear he's excellent at what he does and that's what matters the most. You want a competent surgeon who has experience, and he does! Good luck everybody!

Wish you a happy and safe surgery on monday!! Best wishes

The sleeve has been a lifesaver for me! I am thrilled with it. My diabetes is in remission and my a1C is normal. Also, I'm at a normal weight now and I'm actually very healthy. I think the plication is interesting but I would recommend the sleeve because there are more studies done and the ASMBS (American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery) has approved it as a viable weight loss option. The ASMBS has not approved plication. I know someone who went in for a plication and 5 days later had to be converted to the sleeve because her stomach tissue was dying due to the stomach blood vessels being affected. I wish everyone the best though whether they have plication or sleeve or any other surgery because we all just want to be healthy and happy.

Tijuana Plication, have you been able to have the switch done? I know Dr. jaime Ponce de leon offers to do the switch only in Tijuana and also so does Dr. Ungson in Mexico. Best wishes and I'd love to hear an update.

Which surgery did your wife and son have? Congrats on your weieght loss!

How is your restriction level? Are you in a comfortable zone, like where you can eat around a cup of food and feel satisfied? Or are you able to eat quite a bit at a sitting? I know people say just because you can doesn't mean you should, but it really helps if you feel satisfied on about a cup of food and not have to fight hunger. If I were you, I'd get online and start calling doctor's offices that are within driving distance. You need some sort of aftercare. You have lost about 40 lbs and kept it off which is good, but if you want to get further down in weight you're going to have to do your own work on finding a lap band fill doctor. I think that is going to really help you a lot in moving forward with weight loss. You need a combination of restriction and mental/emotional work to get ahead in this journey. Mentally you need to be able to stop eating before you feel uncomfortable and you need to be able to think about what you are going to eat before you eat it. Mindful eating instead of mindless eating. I wish you the very best

Congrats on a job well done. You look smashing

Congrats on your success! My aunt was a tall woman and thin and also very beautiful. She seems to know she's beautiful because she acted like it to my face but I realize now that she had some issues that she never let slip to me. My mother, who was her best friend (she married my mom's brother), told me that my Aunt hated being tall and felt large sometimes. Even though to everyone else she was thin and beautiful. I was really surprised by that but it goes to show you that everyone has things they don't like or feel insecure about. You are not weird for feeling that way and I think we all get it. I am more muscular than I like and wish I were more dainty sometimes too but that's just the way I'm built. My parents were both college/elite athletes and develop muscle quickly and I am the same way genetically. The only issue with that is that muscle turns to fat easily too when it's not "honed" lol. And being that I'm a female I don't particularly like being muscular.

Congratulations!

To the original poster--I'm sorry you went through this. I have a friend here in Texas who said she couldn't eat chicken or vegetables even when it got completely unfilled without throwing up every bite. She lived on protein shakes in social situations since she didn't want people to think she was bulimic. You are certainly not alone in this. She ended up getting the band removed and she never threw up again. She was NOT a bulimic by choice--just like you. Best wishes to you wherever you are!

I have to agree with Hillary. Would you consider a revision to a sleeve or RNY? With the sleeve, you pretty much have restriction from the beginning. No fills, no slips, no erosions. You just go on about your life and make sure you take vitamins and progress from liquids to pureed foods to solids within about 6 weeks. You go under ONCE for the surgery and you are done. If I had issues with the lap band over these many years, and had not achieved weight loss, I would certainly revise to something else. If you go under anesthesia for a new band and experience complications in the future, you may need to go under again for it to be removed. This is just my opinion but it's time for a different surgery where you go under ONCE and don't have to worry about anything being removed. I hope you don't mind my opinion and honestly that is all it is. I will root for you to be successful whether you get another lap band or not. Best wishes to you in all sincerity. -Misha

Happier update than my previous confession LOL: I confess that I FINALLY feel THIN and NORMAL SIZED I confess that I'm thrilled with my new body and new health I confess that I love my little teeny sleevie and I'm so grateful that my surgeon gave me a teeny sleevie! I confess that my husband and kids have been nice and understanding for the entire year since my surgery and I'm so grateful I confess that I'm going to go to the casino in a month and I might drink a little alcohol for the first time since being sleeved!

I agree with the denser foods idea. When I eat chicken, it keeps me full for hours. Or turkey sausage is a great idea. I really think you should have your friend give you a barium swallow x ray and find out what she thinks about your sleeve size. Here's some good news: even people with large VSG stomachs can lose weight just fine. There are studies to prove it. My concern for you is several years from now as the sleeve is done healing. How much will you be able to eat then? There are some studies that show really large sleeves have higher % regain . I am positive you are going to lose plenty of weight. Heck, you will probably be able to keep it off. ESPECIALLY if you eat dense Proteins. I just think it's not fair that you will have to fight harder to keep the weight off than someone with a smaller, properly done sleeve. But first of all--maybe the apple was a fluke. Have you tried to eat chicken or beef or eggs? Try to eat something like that and see how much you can eat in ounces. 2 ounces--3 ounces--4 ounces? If you are somewhere in that range, your sleeve is probably fine.

You ate an entire apple at 4 weeks out? I don't want to freak you out because you are newly sleeved but I'm one year out and I cannot eat an entire apple in one sitting. Maybe 1/2 for a snack and 1/2 later. Your friend is a surgeon and knows what she is talking about. If I were you, I'd go to her and have her give you a barium swallow x ray and have her look at your sleeve. Get her expert opinion on this.

4 ounces of something soft like tuna is really normal once you get to about 6 months out. If you didn't add any mayo to it especially. Adding mayo gives it more volume. Denser foods like chicken, fish or steak you will ALWAYS be able to eat less of than softer foods. That is why if you are feeling super hungry and want to binge on something naughty---eat some chicken or fish or something like that! It will keep you fuller longer. I remember my capacity increased some at 6 months and yes I did freak out. Now at a year out I can eat about the same I could then. It definitely seems like a lot more than those first few months but that is because the swelling is gone. It's perfectly normal.

Wow, my one year surgiversary is in less than a week. Time flies! I have been very blessed. I love to read what those further out have to say. Maintenance is a new beast. I love this thread! I am so excited to have a forum for those who can relate to me. I will be regularly coming back to VST if this forum doesn't get inundated. I don't mind posting to newbies but it does get kind of old sometimes. We need a place for us. I mean, newbies have their spots. Us too, right? To those of you over 2 years post op, KUDOS! I am very impressed with your diligence to keep your weight under control. Some of my favorite youtubers adopt the 5-10 lb range plan. They have a lifetime maintenance range and if they see themselves heading to the higher end, they immediately go back into watching every bite that goes into their mouths meticulously. Just like freshly post op. That is what I am doing now. I only allow myself a 5 lb. range. I haven't had it go to the top yet, but I keep an eye. Christmas was a doozy. I had more carbs than usual in the form of stuffing and had to make sure to throw it out after a couple of days because I loooove stuffing. I even ate my protein first during the holidays but that damn stuffing was calling to me. I can see how it gets harder as time goes on. I have noticed it's MUCH easier to hit 1000-1200 calories now than it was 6 months ago. I remember when it was a struggle to get in 600 cals. Times change.

Ahhh I have so missed the VST forum! And I love that there is a place for vets to come. I post on OH a lot but some of the stuff over there drives me batty. I really have needed a place to post to others who are further out. I don't mind posting to newbies, but there needs to be a place for us too. Big hugs everyone

Hey guys. I haven't been here in a while. I post over on OH a lot but there seems to be a shifting of things over there. I like the idea of a veterans forum. Anyway, what is next? Hmm, it's weird for me to think of what to do. One thing that I have noticed since losing the weight is that I'm actually going out SHOPPING now. I actually bought clothes in small sizes and didn't worry about them fitting. Before the sleeve, I'd been living in athletic pants and anything stretchy. I am still a cheapskate, but I actually wear nice jeans now. I actually try to look nice when I go in public and look presentable. Before surgery, I didn't walk confidently when I went anywhere. I also didn't try that hard to look nice because I wanted to avoid any looks from others--whether good or bad. Just no attention period. I'm not like that now. It is really surprising. I am still shy and private but much more open than I used to be. I smile more, I laugh more, and I don't mind going places and someone looking at me. I'm no longer wondering "Are they staring at me cuz I'm fat?" I have a strong Southern accent too, and I don't care who likes it or not :-)

I really should have found this thread sooner being I've been on this site for a year now! I had VSG 2/3/12 and I'm UNDER goal now, in a normal BMI range. Very happy with that! Doing well with the sleeved life. I am a 36 year old mom of 2 sweet girls. One is close to graduating high school and is a total tomboy and artist. She is a sweetheart with such a loving spirit. She cracks me up. My youngest is a princess diva girly girl who swears she is a tomboy too. She does love sports and having fun. My husband is the best man I've ever met and I love him dearly. 11 years together on the 22nd of this month and I'm so happy to have him. He has raised my oldest as if she were his and he loves her the same as if she were and I love him even MORE just because of that. I found out I had diabetes last year right before the sleeve. My biological mom died of diabetes at age 54 just a few months after I had the sleeve surgery. I really feel like this surgery have saved my life. My diabetes is in remission now and I hope to live a lot longer than 54. I am back in college and almost done! I decided to go back in 2010 and get my bachelor's. I had 2 years worth of college from my early 20's and figured I might as well finish! I just need a few more classes. I'm getting my degree in Journalism. I already write freelance for various websites and earn an okay living from that but hope when my degree is done it will open up more opportunities. Some of the places require a degree to get employment as a writer so I'm sooo close :-). I have enjoyed this site. I don't check in as much now that I'm below goal and enjoying the sleeved life and really have adapted to it like it's naturally just a part of me. It is so strange to just feel like the sleeve is "normal life" now. I am used to the small portions--the Protein first--the no drinking and eating. It's nice that it's come natural to me and I have adapted so well. This surgery was probably the wisest decision I've made in a loooong time. God bless everyone and good luck in your journeys!

Congratulations! it feels great, doesn't it? I love the sleeve too, it's made my life so much better!