Cheles

You look amazing! Keep up the great work! Rock your sleeve sista!

Great job! Keep up the good work.

I too have very fine, but dense hair. My Hair loss started about a month ago. I've noticed more coming out, but to be honest, my clog hasn't choked up yet. Take your vitamans, biotan, and protien. It will come back.

I remember being whelled into the operating room and nothing else until I was being moved into my room. As for pain, I have a pretty high-tollerance so I never asked for meds. The nurse finally made me take some, but I hate the way they made me itch.

After that I only remember being told to walk and drink; which I did. My dad walked with me the 1st time and he kept telling me to slow down because I wasn't in a marthon...lol.

It was a great experince. But I did HATE having the drain removed. It was the oddest sensation I have ever felt in my life, but thankfully it lasted for seconds and that was it.

I've not lost 100, yet. I've lost 78-lbs in my 5-months post-op, and 123 since this journey began. I'm hoping to be around 165 by Aug 2012. My doctor was Stephen Boyce in Tennessee. He was great. His team has done a fantasic job and I'm extremely pleased with my results. I had my consult in Sept and then surgery on Dec 20, 2011.

Good luck. If you have any questions just message me.

So I just hit my 5-month mark and I am extremely happy with my success and sleeve. Who would have thought that I could achieve this magnitude of weight-loss and it is life changing. You see people, food, and situations in a different light. The game is different now.

First, a new-found self-respect. You see how perceptions have limited you over time. And then the veil is removed and everything changes. You have more self-confidence then you could have EVER imagined in your life. You have co-workers and people treating you differently, but in a good way. Why couldn't they have been that way before? That's a tough question and the only way I can answer it is their fear of you. I know that sounds strange, but nothing else has changed. I'm still an A-type personality, strong, driven, and accomplished. So, I think it's their fear that you might not be those things in a large body....well phooy on them!

Second, food. Which you might think is the first, but in my case it's second. My life revolved around food, what I was eating, what I was cooking, where we were going to eat. Now I eat because I have to, and I struggle with that at times. What I mean by this is, I just am not hungry any more. I NEVER in my life thought I would "struggle" to eat. That's such a misnomer to me. My husband has to ask me now...did you eat your daily totals? Sometimes yes and sometimes no. It's also about my food choices. I try to keep protein the priority. Do I still like sweets....ah yeah! I have 1/2-cup of ice cream from time to time...it's my hardest to give up. Carbs...it wasn't that hard to give up. I just cannot eat them without sacrificing protein so it's not worth it to me.

Thirdly, I've noticed how situations are changing at a rapid pace. I'm in the middle of a career change. This has been on-going for a year now. However, right as I was about to give notice at my current role, I receive an offer from one of the Big-5 consulting firms. This is a HUGE step in my current career if I took this role. But I'm not going to take it. I am changing directions with my life and this is both exciting and scary. A year ago this would never have happened and now what I see is unlimited possibilities.

All this being said, was being sleeved worth it? ABSOLUTELY! Don't be afraid of what you will get from your sleeve. You cannot imagine how your life will change for the better. The veil will be removed and your life will become your masterpiece to make it what you will.

WOO HOO To you, Lissa! Congrats! I know it's a major personal goal to get those lbs off. Great job and you look FANTASTIC!

I'll be honest. I did not have those fears, but one thought stuck in my mind...what if I don't come out. But I was at peace with that thought. I was plesantly suprised when I awoke. I'm sure I made no sense to anyone grambling away for a while and all I did was sleep and walk the day of surgery.

Don't let your fears get you going. You'll do great. It will have its ups and downs, but you'll do great over the journey. I regret nothing. I'm happy and lucky to have the support of this board, friends, and my family to move through this journey in life.

Good luck and stay positive.

I may have a french fry or 3, but I'm 5-months out and don't like the heavy feeling on my tummy.

I tried it both at 2 and 3-months out. I hated the taste. However,I had cuban coffee all last week and LOVED IT! I'm almost 5-months out at this point.

I too did that durning the liquid stage, but after that I never did it again. Hopefully this will pass and not become a habit.

It was about one week after my paperwork was submitted. I didn't call, but I did receive the approval letter and a call from my surgeron a week later.

Good luck!

I've packed mine, but I've yet to donate them. The only reason is...I've had no time. Maybe in May I can make it happen.

I did. I increased my fats and carbs for 1-week and that gernally does the trick.

I quit back in Nov 2011. I switched to Oolong tea which can be re-steeped 6x. The first three days my head ached badly. Since I quit I have tried coffee 5x and now I don't like the taste...go figure. I had been drinking coffee since I was a little girl. Even my friends have commented they cannot believe I don't drink it anylonger.

Thanks everyone. I really couldn't have gotten to that 199 goal without the members of this board. Ya'll mean very much to me!

Way to go! It's an amazing feeling to lose 100lbs! You go girl!

Yesterday hit my 4-month mark since my sleeve surgery. And, I hit the 199 mark after 2-weeks of holding at 201. YAY! I've been waiting on this day for a long time. It's funny when you finally see the scale say 199. I just kept saying....really, am I really there? The last time I remember being under 200 I was in 10th grade or I was about 16 which means for 32-years I have been over 200 lbs and at times WAY over 200 lbs. Yes, this feels good.

As for my diet, I track everything. I do enjoy a treat of a piece of candy or some ice cream once in a while. But I generally stay within my targets of protien, carbs, fat, and fluids.

As for my NSV...Well, I'm in the process of changing careers. My family wants me to take over their business. I grew up in the business, but went my separate way many years ago. That path provided me with my degree and a great job. But to be honest, I've gotten very bored with my role over the last 3-years and was looking for a change. Over the last 3-months I have been studying for my state board license in HVAC contracting.

I took my test on Thursday. It was an open-book test, but the proctor said I had written to much in my books and took 2 of the major testing books away from me. I had 30-questions left out of 100 to answer. Of those 30, I was able to locate 15 of the questions from my other books. That left me with 15 remaining questions which were tables within the last two books. The proctor was adimit that I could not have my books and told me she was sorry, but I just had to go on my on knowledge. Well, I did the best I could. The test was over and I waiting on the results. It read..PASSED! I couldn't believe it. I actually passed.

This has been an exhausting and exciting week. I hit 199 and passed my HVAC licensing exam!

I went down a shoe size within 1-month. Both in size and width. I can buy med instead of wides! WOO HOO!

Wow! You look great! Oh and Go VOLS!!! Do you live in Knoxville?

Ah, yeah, and how can you tell? GO VOLS!

AWESOME! Congrats on the wedding!

I'm not sure if this a b***h or a rant. But, here goes. So, I'm leaving my job and changing careers in June. This has been planned for over a year, and I'm scared to death of the big test coming up. I have faith that I'll pass it, but it's 8-hours worth of testing....even in college I never endured 8-straight hours of testing.

As for career change, I'm going back to where I started, but this time I'll be the owner and not a worker bee. If I decided to stay in my current career there would be no chance of movement because only the clique gets hired. Or as I was told yesterday...the best. WTF, really? It looks like ya'll are just hiring your friends and no one else!

Awesome job! You are doing great!

You look wonderful!! Great job and an amazing transformation!! I noticed one really important thing, though... In both pictures, the person with you adores you!!!

Lissa, you are correct. She told me before and after the surgery. I was beautiful, period! She is truly a wonderful friend to me. I love her dearly.

I really hated looking at myself before my sleeve. However, one of my dearest friends had taken a picture of me 1-month before my surgery while at a football game. This picture truly showed how large I had become. I hated this picture, but it's proof of what the sleeve can do for you. The second picture is this past weekend. The success of my sleeve is truly visible. I'm very proud to have taken the opportunity to save my life and make the sleeve work for me. Good luck to all of you who have undergone and/are beginning this transformation.