AshleyIrene

I tell anyone and everyone. IMO, there's no way to remove the stigma associated with WLS unless we the patients are willing to share our positive journey with others. You never know whose life you may save with your testimony.

I put on my size 18 capris this morning... Waaayyyy too loose! I put on my size 16s, perfect fit! And my dress for my BFF's wedding came yesterday. I optimistically bought a size 16 thinking I'd have time to shrink - now I think I'll have to take it back and get a smaller size!

LOVE IT! Congrats!!!!!!!!!

Happiness is tying my shoes and not being out of breath!

When everything in your closet fits and is comfortable or too big! All those too tight things that were shoved in the back are finally seeing the light of day!

That's all I wanted to say lolol

Ashley,
Your doing great! Those are great NSVs!

Hello my fellow sleevers,
I had my surgery on Mach 29th. I'm still getting used to all the changes but so far im very happy with my decision! This last week I had went to my nieces school concert and I was able to fit in the seat without getting stuck, it was a wonderful feeling. But what was even a greater accomplishment for me was when I put on my "only" pair of jeans that fit before my surgery (and even then they were so tight they looked like skinny jeans), are loose and keep falling off. I also fit into 7 more pair of jeans that I had hiding away! I just love clothes so I'm so excited to be able to fit into ones I've only been able to wear once and go shopping for new ones!
Thanks to all of you for your support, positivity, wisdom & humor in all your posts! It's helped me through a lot of my days. Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.
Xoxo Ashley

Hello my fellow sleevers,
I had my surgery on Mach 29th. I'm still getting used to all the changes but so far im very happy with my decision! This last week I had went to my nieces school concert and I was able to fit in the seat without getting stuck, it was a wonderful feeling. But what was even a greater accomplishment for me was when I put on my "only" pair of jeans that fit before my surgery (and even then they were so tight they looked like skinny jeans), are loose and keep falling off. I also fit into 7 more pair of jeans that I had hiding away! I just love clothes so I'm so excited to be able to fit into ones I've only been able to wear once and go shopping for new ones!
Thanks to all of you for your support, positivity, wisdom & humor in all your posts! It's helped me through a lot of my days. Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.
Xoxo Ashley

Hello my fellow sleevers,
I had my surgery on Mach 29th. I'm still getting used to all the changes but so far im very happy with my decision! This last week I had went to my nieces school concert and I was able to fit in the seat without getting stuck, it was a wonderful feeling. But what was even a greater accomplishment for me was when I put on my "only" pair of jeans that fit before my surgery (and even then they were so tight they looked like skinny jeans), are loose and keep falling off. I also fit into 7 more pair of jeans that I had hiding away! I just love clothes so I'm so excited to be able to fit into ones I've only been able to wear once and go shopping for new ones!
Thanks to all of you for your support, positivity, wisdom & humor in all your posts! It's helped me through a lot of my days. Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.
Xoxo Ashley

I'll never forget the day I learned about VSG and came on this forum to research it. Now, nearly 8 months to the day from my surgery - I hit my final goal!!! 140 pounds!!! That's nearly 100 lbs. down from my highest weight of 238. It feels great to see that number on the scale, but even better to know that I will never, ever, be fat again!
The first thing I wanted to do when I saw that I hit goal was to get on here and tell all of you. Thank you, everyone, for giving me a place to share in my joy (and for being there when I wasn't as joyous).

What foods are considered sliders?

If you want to see what I am talking about you can check it out at dagorhir.com ...
...okay, so a MUCH younger me was always doing some sort of martial art - and at about 18 fell in LOVE with armed european swordplay - european martial arts, that sort of thing...so I fought in the SCA and other groups...I loved it and I was really good at it.
And then I packed on the weight and I just could not keep up. I lacked the arm reach and I was always injuring myself...
Sunday I participated in an event again for the first time, and I KICKED ASS, lol.
I was mediocre, actually...but it was the first time in fifteen years, and I won sparring events and survived the meley.
You may need to locate a nerd to interperate...
I was getting some Water, which is on the otherside of a bamboo wall in the park we were in and I heard one of the more experienced guys (who I almost beat 5/6) say "she hasn't done this is 15 years? really???"
you can't see it, but the sun is shining from WITHIN me right now, this - feels - sooo - freakin' - good!

Gasp!!! I'm sitting on my couch with my legs crossed comfortabley My left leg on my right leg!!! Wow!! Had to share!!!!

Here are some things you might want to do to put time before your surgery to good use:
Go through all the clothes you have stashed in your house. Organize them by size. After surgery, you are going to be dropping weight fast, and will need to move out of your current clothes that fit into the smaller sized ones. You don't want to buy stuff needlessly if you have clothes that fit stashed somewhere.
Figure out a plan on what you are going to do with your fat clothes as you shrink out of them. GET RID OF THEM in some way. I donated mine to a thrift store that supports a women shelter, gave them to a group that puts women back into the workforce (my business suits) and gave them to friends/family that were the size I shrunk out of.
Look to see what you are going to need once you shrink into a certain size. For example, I have to had to have black dress pants and jeans in every size I went through. I had some gaps in my stash of skinnier clothes, because I had given stuff away.
Write yourself a long detailed letter as to why you want the surgery, how you feel being the way you are now (before surgery) and what you are willing to give up to be the person you want to be. Put the letter away, and as you hit bumps in the road during your sleeve journey, you can pull it out and read it.
Take before pictures - and don't be shy. Take some in your underwear or a swimsuit so you can compare your results as you start to shrink. No one else will have to see these (unless you are comfortable sharing).
Take before measurements. You will want to have accurate before statistics, so you can track your inches lost.
Get a copy of the book "The Success Habits of Weight Loss Surgery Patients". Read it and start working through the material. It really helped me.
Do some soul-searching. Try to figure out what your relationship with food is, and has been the reason for your problems. Start planning how you will deal with the emotional triggers when numbing yourself with food is no longer an option for you. Read some books on emotional eating (if that's an issue with you). The surgeon operates on your stomach, not your brain - you have to work on that part. Everyone is different here. The earlier you get a handle on your issues and start working on them, the better.
Start working on your behaviors that you will have to practice after your sleeve. Stop drinking sodas and other carbonated beverages. Stop drinking when you eat. Start waiting 30 minutes after you eat to drink anything. Start drinking 64 ounces of calorie free liquid each day. Start reducing the junk food and carbs that you eat. Start reducing (or stop eating) sugar. The earlier you embrace these habits, the better for you.

The time will pass quickly. Good Luck!
Sharon

Wow! shake your as* but watch yourself!

Thanks everyone! I am going to give it 110%. I've been reading everything today. My kids think I'm obsessed. Naw!!!!

Lewanda,
I am one year out today and statrted out at 460 highest weight, 450 when I first went to the surgeon for the first time . 410 when I had surgery and today 234 I still have 54pd to go and know it will happen. I do have saggy skin but not as bad as I thought. i feel great. you will do wondrful just keep your eye on the prize. A New You.
Denise

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.

Tiny plates, forks, spoons and cups. You can buy cocktail dinnerware at WilliamsSonoma, Pier1 OR you could even use doll dishes in a pinch.

Here is your Tuesday Thinker...

"Imperfection is beauty. Madness is genius.



It's better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring.



When it comes down to it, I let them think what they want.



If they care enough to bother with what I do,



I'm already better than them"

Wow! What an amazing transformation in just one year! You look great & happy!! Congrats =)

I just wanted to share with everyone that the decision to get sleeved on April 26th 2011 in Tijuana Mexico was literally the best thing that I have ever done and my only draw back was that I didn't do it sooner! This time last year I was freaking out about having the surgery, going to Mexico by myself and starving due to a month on the liquid diet, but I would do it again in a heart beat! If you are thinking about getting the surgery DO IT! don't even think about it not getting it done!!
This may sound normal for a lot of you, but a lot of little things changed this past year like how people act towards me, its sad to but they act much nicer and more respectful, I've had a few girlfriends(which before the surgery only had one ever) I run up the stairs without getting out of breath and my feet never hurt anymore! I know it may sound funny, but when I think about all I do is smile. I love when people ask what the heck happened to me, it makes me feel like 1,000,000 bucks!
Heres a few pictures from the past year:

I’ve noticed a lot of emphasis on post-op diets. Now don’t get me wrong. I am not a dietician and I am not telling anyone what they should and should not be eating. Instead I am offering my take on sleeve dieting.

Would most agree that we did not become overweight simply because of the type of food we ate, but rather the amount of foods we ate? I was nearly 140lbs overweight when I had my surgery. My problem was quantity. When I ate out I would eat 3 or 4 of everything. Seriously, when I ate out I would eat 10 tacos at Taco Bell, or an entire large pizza from Pizza Hut, or two Whoppers at Burger King or two 12” Subway sandwiches. If my wife made steaks for dinner I would have 3 of them.

I rarely ate Breakfast during the work week, but on weekends I would stuff myself with pastries. I would also tend to eat and watch TV until bedtime.

These are the things that got me, and I would suspect most people, into trouble. My new sleeve has changed all that. I physically CAN NOT eat foods in the same quantity as before. Thank the LORD! My meals are much, much smaller. This has required me to learn that breakfast and lunch are just as important as dinner.

As I mentioned in an earlier thread, I have no foods that are off limits. I eat mostly the same kind of foods I enjoyed before surgery. I just have to be smarter about it. The Proteins are eaten first in my meals, followed by other nutritionally dense foods. The carb rich stuff like breads is eaten last if my sleeve isn’t already full.

This was my Easter holiday meals:

For breakfast I had a Protein Shake.< /span>

After church my wife wanted to stop at McDonalds on the way home. I didn’t want to overindulge so I opted for a kids “Happy Meal”. It was 4 chicken nuggets, a kid fry and sugar free lemonade. It was less than 300 calories and I still got 10 grams of Protein out of this treat.

For dinner I used a rotisserie on my grill and smoked a whole chicken for the holiday. I had a drumstick and a small portion of a breast, about a ¼ cup of mashed potatoes with some gravy, 3 tablespoons of steamed broccoli, and a freshly made wheat roll. The chicken was eaten first followed by the broccoli and potatoes. I only had a nibble off the roll because I was full. This was not my typical meal, but it was a holiday so I intended to enjoy myself while having dinner with my family.

For desert I had a Cadbury egg.

The point I’m trying to make is that moderation is the key. I had a few things yesterday that are not typical for me, but a reward for 30 days post-op and a holiday. This morning I am back to my regular routine. I had a single serving of oatmeal with honey for breakfast and a “Lean Cuisine” 290 calorie entrée for lunch. My wife is making tacos for dinner. I will likely have a taco and ¼ cup of Spanish rice with salsa.

Don’t beat yourselves up by thinking you’ve “ruined” your diet because you ate something that perhaps is contrary to dieting guidelines. You can simply make up for it with a later meal. We are all eating less because of our wonderful new sleeves and hopefully we’re a lot more active than we used to be. These two things alone will encourage weight loss. Don’t get hung up on what you eat. Pay far more attention to how much you’re eating. Try to make the smartest food choices when choosing your main entrée. I’m down nearly 40lbs in the 30 days since my surgery and I eat what I want.

Let the flaming begin.

Congrats!! You guys are doing awesome!! Remember not to over do it.. and listen to your body!!! Awesome job!!!