destined_dva

I started boot comp this Monday 12/17 to get back on track for the holidays. I weighed this morning and I was down 11.4 lbs!!! This really helped get my focus back on the basics and what my new stomach needs instead of my wants. I am going to continue it until Christmas eve but even then I will hold on to what I have learned. Thanks for this posts!

I started boot comp this Monday 12/17 to get back on track for the holidays. I weighed this morning and I was down 11.4 lbs!!! This really helped get my focus back on the basics and what my new stomach needs instead of my wants. I am going to continue it until Christmas eve but even then I will hold on to what I have learned. Thanks for this posts!

I got on the scale this morning...thinking...please god let me be in the 300's finally...and low and behold...the scale read 399.6! I haven't been below 400 in 6 years! I am soooooooooooo excited I want to cry! Next goal...get to 350...whil is just 49.6 pounds away...That will be the smallest I have been in 10+ years...This tool actually is working! I was sooo afraid I would be the one that it wouldn't work for. I know that I could be down more if I would excercise more and be stricter on myself...but losing slow is a good thing too! Less skin to deal with hopefully!!

First let me say I feel fabulous! I've lost over 70 pounds in just over 5 months. I went from a 22 to a very comfy 12. The road has not been easy and for all you newbies...here is my list of amazing highs...and of not so sunshiny lows.
Disclaimer: This is my experience...it may not be yours.

It will be uncomfortable for a few days post op
I was not hungry for weeks after surgery
I was scared to eat or drink and I didn’t drink enough...thus Constipation and weakness
I didn't feel normal for about 6 weeks. I needed naps and I took them
The weight literally falls off...seriously I was looking for pools of fat in bed when I woke up in the morning
I hit the 4 week stall and it lasted two weeks. Expect it and don't stress
On day three, I had a massive freak out…seriously threw a four year old fit…pissed off my stomach was gone.
No one noticed for months and that irritated me.
EVERYONE notices now and it's all they want to talk about.
Don’t tell anyone you are going to Mexico to have your stomach cut off unless you trust them completely.
I threw up alot...just slime mostly...while I was learning my new tummy. It will scare you and if you are like me…it will happen a lot when you transition to solid foods.
food addiction does not magically go away...if you have a problem before..you will still have it. I think about food all the time, but I finally have a way to resist it. I am a sugar addict. I never crave carbs, but I crave sugar like a mad woman.
Going out to dinner is awkward. I hate watching people eat
Put the lotion on the skin! My skin got really dry.
I’ve lost half my hair at 4.5 months post op. Mine came out in chunks. Freaked me out! Our Golden Retriever and I are in a competition for shedding. It will be ok. Take your Vitamins and buy Nioxin. It doesn’t help my Hair loss, but I feel like I am at least doing something about it.
Don’t take a powerful laxative when you are constipated…especially before your child’s school performance. It may say “See results in 2-4 hours” but it means 30 mins and then you’re stuck on a mini toilet with both legs numb, crying to everything holy to save you.
Shopping is amazing! I still feel like people are looking at me like I don’t belong there…but that’s all in my head.
My shoes no longer fit. they are too wide now!
Your pre WLS Spanx will look huge in a couple months
Trust me…put some Granola bars in your glove box and a few packs of mixed nuts. Sometimes your hungry and there is nothing that you can eat.
Handy meals from the market or gas station when you didn’t plan ahead. Single string cheese, an apple, mixed nuts, readymade hard boiled eggs, The inside of California rolls- no rice, campbells Soup at hand or ready made Soup in a coffee cup.
Handy items at fast food places that sit ok on my tummy include: Taco Bells refried Beans or the inside of a chicken taco. Wendys chili, McDonalds oatmeal, McDonalds yogurt parfait
I feel guilty in front of my heavier friends. I always try to wear a sweatshirt so I don’t rub the weight loss in their faces.
You get drunk really fast...like a half glass of wine. Be careful...it sneaks up on you...and before you know it, you’re waiting for your hubby to pick you up...from less than a glass. Its crazy. I don't really even try anymore to drink.
I crave raw fish, cooked fish, broiled fish, grilled fish...any fish really and it feels amazing on my tummy.
I cant eat steak
I love that I have collar bones
I update my Facebook pictures and secretly love the compliments
I own a woman's North Face now
I can buy bras at Victoria's secret
I pack all my food for work in snack bags and the little tupperware containers for salad dressing.
I can still have M&M's...its just like 9...instead of the king size bags
Take heartburn medicine everyday...don’t wait until you get heartburn.
Buy stock in Maalox
You can have a full meal at Costco- samples + WLS = Cheap Date!
Food Portion jokes get really old
Fast food burgers makes me want to vomit.
At 5 months...salad is wonderful. I can eat about a cup of greens...which takes me a while and I feel a tiny bit normal.
Post-op, If you can swing it, buy a Vita-Mix blender and make your own soup. Canned soup was nasty right after surgery. Freeze them in 4oz canning jars. It will be two servings.
Quit Smoking before surgery. I waited and it slowed my healing. It also gave me terrible heartburn. I am 5 weeks smoke free
You don't have to "confess" you had WLS. It's ok to say thank you for the compliment and not feel guilty. I'm just now starting to accept that I had a little something to do with this insane loss. I tell people when they ask now how I lost the weight, that i exercise and use Portion Control.< br /> People will treat you different. Salesladies ask if I need assistance, men hold open doors and the skinny girls at work talk to me now. It's shallow and pisses me off, but it's nice to not be invisible anymore.
WLS is very difficult. For me, it’s not physical, but the mental. Sometimes I just want a cheesecake like before. It goes away very quickly, but it still comes and goes. Sometimes I get angry at my sleeve because I can’t eat something I see others eating. Most of the time I have to hide my expression when I see people shovel food in the way I used to. It’s shocking to see when you’re on the other side of WLS. I used to inhale my food like a tiny food thief was going to come in and take it away from me.
You will have to say no to your family when they all want to go to a Chinese buffet. I’m still not ready to walk in and be near a buffet.
It feels awesome to give your clothes away, however, do not offer them to your heavier friends. It’s insensitive and they won’t return your calls for a week.
Last one...I played laser tag this past weekend with a bunch of 9 year old boys. It was soooo Much fun!!!

Please feel free to add any other thoughts or tips...

I call that the FUPA..fatty upper ***** area...and I have already lost some weight in that area so I think u will prolly too.

Um, the outside has shrunk, but the inside seems the same at 9 months out and 100 pounds lighter. As a matter of fact, things seem to fit better/deeper these days. TMI?

Okay... I can hardly believe that it's been 6 months already!!! Seems like only yesterday I couldn't fit into a booth at Texas Roadhouse, but it's actually been over 17 months... Feels like I was just complaining about how my dumb insurance company requires 6 month medically supervised diet... but that's been 12 months ago.. and then I met my Sleevina...
The past 6 months have been the most mentally engaging 26 and a half weeks of my life!!! It's been a challenge to get up each day and not be consumed by the RULES, but respecting them and not looking at them as BAD... but as parameters and boundaries that keep my Sleevina working optimally.... So, this journey is definitely not for the faint at heart or those who are seeking to somehow become whole after losing weight.. Wholeness comes from knowing yourself, outside of physical parameters and having the strength to work hard and change the things that aren't "meshing" with the real you.. Anyway.. here are my stats since I started this journey...
HW: 384
CW: 314
Clothing sizes:
Highest: 30/32-4X in everything
Current 20/22 - 1X (I still struggle to purchase them!!)
Pre-surgery Shoe Size: 11WW
Current: 10W
Bra Size
Pre- 48 DD
Current- 42D
Exercise Level:
Pre- Nonexistent due to back injury and poor left side dorsiflexion
Post- aqua aerobics, stationery bike, (ELLIPTICAL.. go figure), lots of walking
Greatest SUCCESS to date:
I'm mentoring 2 young ladies that I met recently..One was sleeved 3 weeks ago, the other had RNY 5 weeks ago.. I get an opportunity to share my ups and downs, give encouragement and advice, PLUS receive it!! Through it all, I don't have any regrets...
Yesterday while biking away in the gym, this guy walks up to me and tells me I have enviable legs and calves... I laughed and said thanks... I wanted to say, please move so I can finish my workout.. This is an NSV because I love men and he was kind of cute.. but I wanted to finish strong and he was being a distraction!!! That's a huge step for me... I'm determined to put on blinders to all distractions, negativity, unhealthy weights (people, mindsets, attitudes, etc) and baggage that seeks to impede my journey towards my goals...They're not worth the time, energy and effort!! BUT I AM WORTH IT!!!
If you are at goals and in maintenance, congrats.. If you are still on the journey to goal, congrats and don't lose sight of it... remember everyday you get closer, if you make the right decisions...if you are a NEWBIE, welcome!!! Trust me it gets better!! And if you are comtemplating getting sleeved, don't hesitate.. but prepare to have your life totally altered in ways you can't imagine...Remember, you have to know that you are worth whatever dollar amount it costs, however long the pre-op diet it, and whatever fiery hoop you have to jump through... Get all the facts, but don't sell yourself and your loved ones short.. Yes, my life has changed, yes... I had to leave some people behind.. but, I found myself again!!! And I have to say... she's pretty darn cool!!! I like me a lot!!
I haven't dropped a huge amount of weight (in pounds), but I have left a HUGE amount of disgust, low-confidence, defeat and many other things synonomous with CRAP along the way...
A few Tina-isms:
Your journey is yours!!! You can't expect it to be exactly like someone else's...
Don't compare yourself to anyone else.. Compare yourself to YOU!!.. Look at old pics, keep track of your measurements, do a side by side comparison... trust me, you'll see the difference
Enjoy your journey!!! If you do it grudgingly, the smallest excuse is all you'll need not to work out, not to drink Water, not to refrain from high calorie, but delicious stuff that slows/stalls your progress
Find an activity that you LOVE to do.. I LOVE aqua aerobics... I don't see it as excercise (although Jenna the Beast works the HECK out of me!!)... it's fun, burns lots of calories and helps tone the whole body
Affirm yourself!! Positive self affirmations work wonders when you are struggling to finish that last mile or last 5 minutes of a workout.. Yes, hearing it from others is good.. but say something good about yourself.
Extend the same love, support, grace, mercy and consideration to yourself, as you lavish on others.. You're human too right??
Don't make excuses, MAKE IT HAPPEN!!!!

I'm a May Sleever but have been following you guys thread to prepare me. I'm currently 3 weeks out and I am in a stall as well. I exercise daily at least 45 minutes, drink my liquids and get my Protein in. I have been guilty of slider foods ~ Cheetos cause they go down easy. Just want to encourage those in the stall. I truly believe its our bodies adapting to the changes. Im a partial payer and I spent a LOT so this surgery HAS TO WORK FOR ME!!
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Whoop whoop! My stall is over (please let it be over). I came out of my two week stall loosing 5.6 lbs! My numbers so far are 80.2 from my highest 69.2 since preop and 41.2 gone since surgery date six weeks ago. I'm so thankful for this surgery and this site. I pray all my April sleevers are happy and healthy! thank you guys again for this thread too!

Whoop whoop! My stall is over (please let it be over). I came out of my two week stall loosing 5.6 lbs! My numbers so far are 80.2 from my highest 69.2 since preop and 41.2 gone since surgery date six weeks ago. I'm so thankful for this surgery and this site. I pray all my April sleevers are happy and healthy! thank you guys again for this thread too!

Whoop whoop! My stall is over (please let it be over). I came out of my two week stall loosing 5.6 lbs! My numbers so far are 80.2 from my highest 69.2 since preop and 41.2 gone since surgery date six weeks ago. I'm so thankful for this surgery and this site. I pray all my April sleevers are happy and healthy! thank you guys again for this thread too!

I had a stall for 2 weeks. i thought my sleeve stopped working and all of a sudden i woke up (after 3 days of walking) i lost 2lbs and the day after another 2lbs

I did it. I am 299.5 this morning!!!! I made it to the 200's. I can't believe it. I don't even recall the last time the scale was under the 300's. So glad I made this decision. It was so right for me.
Now if we can just know that Jimmy is ok, I would truly have a reason to Celebrate. This is the bad part of our close April group. How far away we are all. I am pretty sure that if we lived close, we would all be there in person for him. Hang in there Jimmy. We are still pulling for your recovery. Hugs via the cyber network.

I'm sorry that you're having a hard time right now! I do know that if you go to the forum home on this website that there is a recipe sharing section. Also, I googled some possible recipe/low-carb smoothie websites for you and came up with the links below. I can't guarantee their quality for you but it'll give you a jumping off point for research. Also, you can try going to barnes and noble or Amazon for vsg recipe books.
Another thing is look for support groups in your area. I know that there is one where I live where you do not have to actually be affiliated with a specific doctor in order to go. You can try looking for something like that through your local hospital. Plus you can try googling to see if there are any nutritionists in your area that are experienced in VSG surgery diets.
Good luck and I hope this helped!
http://www.fatsecret.com/Default.aspx?pa=rs&dietid=113755
http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/2007/08/pureed-foods.html
http://www.smoothieweb.com/category/low-carb-smoothies/
recipes.html" rel="external nofollow">http://www.antioxidants-for-health-and-longevity.com/low-carb-smoothie-recipes.html

So tonight I was taking a bath and I realized that I fit in the tub a whole lot better. My hips are not stuck up against the sides as much and the Water actually flows behind me. BUT more importantly, when I looked in the mirror afterwards, I could actually see my girl parts for the first time in 3 years. Lolol

Hello All,
I'm wondering why African American Sleevers is just a thread instead of a subforum on its own within the Special interest support groups. There are a lot of different subjects related to our experiences, and just adding to one thread it's difficult to keep track of all the topics that are brought up here. Do we need to put in a request somewhere?

Seems like everyone is coming out of surgery successfully and I couldn't be more happier! So to everyone who jumprrd from pre to post op im wishibg you all a speedy recovery and a healthy weight loss journey. We have a few days left in April, it's almost time to wrap things up, can you feel the magic lol... When I first started this thread I didn't expect to see all of these responses but now 24 days down the line I couldn't be more surprised... This is a beautiful place and I'm proud to be a member of this endless journey of success!

Down 16lbs in 10 days! Staples are OUT!

Hi guys! Checking in. I had my two week follow up today. I've lost 29 since being sleeved on 4/2. Grand total of 60lbs including pre-op. Loving my sleeve!!! Good luck to all my fellow April sleevers.

Hi guys! Checking in. I had my two week follow up today. I've lost 29 since being sleeved on 4/2. Grand total of 60lbs including pre-op. Loving my sleeve!!! Good luck to all my fellow April sleevers.

Hi guys! Checking in. I had my two week follow up today. I've lost 29 since being sleeved on 4/2. Grand total of 60lbs including pre-op. Loving my sleeve!!! Good luck to all my fellow April sleevers.

Hi guys! Checking in. I had my two week follow up today. I've lost 29 since being sleeved on 4/2. Grand total of 60lbs including pre-op. Loving my sleeve!!! Good luck to all my fellow April sleevers.

Hi guys! Checking in. I had my two week follow up today. I've lost 29 since being sleeved on 4/2. Grand total of 60lbs including pre-op. Loving my sleeve!!! Good luck to all my fellow April sleevers.

Hi guys! Checking in. I had my two week follow up today. I've lost 29 since being sleeved on 4/2. Grand total of 60lbs including pre-op. Loving my sleeve!!! Good luck to all my fellow April sleevers.