LilMissDiva Irene

Thanks Tiffy!! You have been such a wealth of knowledge and support here, thank you for everything!!! ... it's all because of you and all of the fellow VST'ers... you all keep me so motivated!!

@S4M - I'd love to meet you all!!! <3 Thank you, big hugs!!! @SrSleeve - thank you!!! :-D

Good Evening sleevers!!! Today I am exactly 4 months post op. I was sleeved by Dr. Alberto Aceves in Mexicali Mexico and he took my lap band out at the same time. (Yeahhh!!!) Well my averages are slowing down but ya know... I'm still losing. I went through a pretty long stall, and maybe partially it was my own fault. I was grazing too much now I realize, as I've taken back up to logging my intake 100% of the time. I even log my supplements. Yes, I do. Maybe that is a little neurotic - but I had to do something. I needed to find out where I was missing and I'm glad to know where I was going wrong. I'm now eating anywhere from 900-1200 calories per day and doing 50% Protein, 25% Fats and 25% GOOD Carbs. NO MORE SNACKING BETWEEN MEALS, and everything that hits my lips is completely healthy and good for my body. I will continue with this regimen until I hit goal. It's so easy to fall off the right track, BUT the main thing is to realize it, pick back up and keep it moving!! On my workout days I add in one extra EAS CarbAdvantage Protein shake, and I'll allow one handfull of peanuts in the evening but that's it. I tried the sunflower seeds but I was blown away to find out it's got a lot of calories... LOL!! Good thing I was low on calories for that day. I won't do that again though. I love peanuts and I might try some pistachios too - however I'm at my limit for today, so maybe tomorrow. Also, I've taken on a new eating plan which gets me more veggies, fruits and whole grain power foods. I feel so wholesome right now. I have more energy right now than I think I've felt in my entire life!!! That is NO JOKE!!! I've been able to rock out my workouts like no one's business and I feel so incredible when they are over. :D I can tell my stamina in increasing every single day. I'M A HAPPY GIRL!!!! Anyway, my stall I do believe is over now that I've gotten myself back on track and revving like a sports car. My metabolism is through the roof - and I can tell this because I just feel it all over my body. My clothes suddenly feel like they are swimming on me. Soon I will not have any clothes left to wear... LOL And THAT is not a bad thing!!! Ok so, to finish as this is long enough I want to type out some NSV's that I've noticed up to this point. Pre-surgery - these were not even Considered!!! When I wake up in the morning and I flip my legs over the side of my bed I'm startled every time that these are actually my legs!!! They look like someone else's... haaa!! When I'm on my Spinner I can actually see parts of the bike seat as I'm riding it. Now that one was pretty cool. It's funny how you don't even realize how much room you take up until you don't take up much anymore. My Wedding Rings can literally fall off my hand without my help! My Size 6 is starting to get a little too loose for my liking even. I have bones in my hands and on my collar. Who knew? I do not wake up sore in the morning anymore from being so heavy it's hard to maneuver in my sleep. When I'm getting dressed in the morning and I'm picking out my clothes, I can hardly even believe I can fit the smaller sizes that I'm wearing now. Some are even getting baggy! Speaking of this, I'm wearing a pair of pajama pants that I couldn't even fit before surgery. I think they are ready to hit the Goodwill bag now because I can't even keep them on anymore. I can jog on my treadmill and NOT have sore knees during or after!!! I can jog a 5K now. I can move around in areas that are tight and I fit quite easily. Before I'd be afraid of bumping into people or furniture! I see a woman's shape when I look in the mirror getting dressed. I love this one!!! Here's a really big one: I have not needed to take any Aleve daily as I used to. I probably have used it once a day for a total of 5 days in the LAST MONTH!!! Whoohooo!!! Pain is going away!! My shoes are feeling really loose too. Hopefully I can even go down a size one day! People at work are already telling me I'm looking "thin"!! Wow, I feel so jazzed!! I still have a bit to go, but THAT is a huge motivator... I am feeling more like being social. For a minute I just was feeling really introverted. Not anymore!! I think that's enough for now. I'm sure I could go on all day with so many things. Life's Good!!! (LG!!!) Sorry for the no body shots, didn't have time - but I did try to get one of them where you can see to my middle. The Blue dress is me right before pre-op diet, the pink shirt is around 300 Lbs and the brown sweater is me at my heaviest. It's the only known photo of me at that size.

@Feed that's a very interesting idea! Actually I am having some cukes as we speak - so day 1 and done It's worth 0 points so I'm good to go... :-) @DJ, to be honest I think I was grazing way too much first thing. Not on things that are necessarily bad, however I have made some bad choices in here and there. That's no longer now because I'm logging on Weight Watchers and I'm only allowing myself 24 points per day. That equals to anywhere from 900-1200 calories depending what I'm eating. You get dinged heavily for foods that are high fat and high carb. However they go easy on foods that are high protein and high fiber. :-) It's working!! A few other things I've changed is I bought a DVD from Target, the Leslie Sansone Walk away the pounds. She has a fantastic 2 week diet that is so packed with nutrients and very well balanced. Of course I can't eat the portions she suggests, barely by half. Isn't that amazing I can't even eat a "diet" program??!! I love that!! Well I'm on day 3 today... so far so good. The food is so healthy and delicious and I'm not gonna beat around the bush here - I feel totally incredible. My workouts have been outstanding because my energy level is thru the roof right now. I've gotten back to eating more veggies, fruits and whole grains. In looking at percentages I'd say I'm doing about 50% protein, 25% Fats and 25% Carbs. Not bad... One other thing, I've been "going" really regular too since. It's not small amounts (sorry tmi) and it also makes me feel great!! @Chilo - Big Hugs!!! @coops - Hoorayyy!!!! Gosh, being a slow loser sure puts a big spin on every pound doesn't it?? I'm telling you I was jumping for joy when I saw that this morning!!! Congrats and here's to many more!! Cheers!!

Yay!!! My logging is working!! That and my new balanced diet I guess... LOL I'm down 2 Lbs. and today is an official weigh day! Since surgery I've lost 40.2 Lbs. I hope the logging and eating plan continues. I will just keep on keeping on! Not only that I am officially now into 14/16 instead of a 22/24 when I started my pre-op diet. LG!!

SN................Starting Wt........Current.......Goal.....Lbs to Goal Avilda......................275.................187..............177..............10 Brendasgonnalose...335............233..............225..............8 Cherice95405.......248............... 177............ 164..............13 Chilo1.....................216................160...............154..............6 Coops ...................238................191...............177...............14 Cwalker.................250.................180..............170...............10 Daisy......................237.................138.............130...............8 DJackson..............229.................229..............215.............14 HollyW...................259..................233............215..............18 Ibejjo.....................249..................249............229................20 Juliarh...................230..................219..............215...........4 Kimmes................239..................222..............200............22 Kgremmy.............225.................210..............199..............11 Laylasmojo.........242.................180...............170..............10 LeslieH..................212..................212.............199..............13 LilMissDiva...........235..............231.8.............220.............11.8 Mellifrits...............210.................132..............125..............07 Meriteri................240...................187.............170...............17 MichelleLee..........252..................222................199..............23 MINI-Me...............203..................124.6............125..............0 & holding! Mommy2Girls.......275.................240..............228..............12 Moniluv.................190.................190..............178..............12 MRSKOUBIK........317..................283.............267..............16 pattimomof3nj......203.4..............163.2..........155...........8.2 Sailorgirl.................240.................220..............200..........20 Secret Surgery34..........205.........179............165...........14 Sleeve 4 me.........166..................164.............156...............8 Sweatinitout..........245................170..............160...............10 Yolanda240...........236.................203..............170..............33 PlannerGirl………..…327…..……..…..275……..……..255…………..20 mlr777...........200.8...........174.6............160.............14.6 tlang262 - Texas.....240.......240..............230..............10

Yes it is true and possible, however keep in mind - she is a woman and she weighs less (so her metabolism is going to be quite different). It's not going to be as easy to lose as it may have been for you. Regardless, Congratulations for you're really doing amazing!!! Lila, wow - I agree so much with feed's Dr. I follow that same guideline that I will find my successes in more ways than just the scale. I specifically look for NSV's every single day! My weight loss has been much lower than most others around here so that is what I do to keep positive and know I AM doing a good job. Though I do use my scale as a guide on whether I can try harder or not. However I am very content on my losses to date!! I do set mini goals but and I have set dates attached to try to work to get there. It is disappointing though when I don't make them. I just set the bar lower this time, to something I personally know I can do. Good luck to you!!

I am going to work my @$$ off to never be fat again.

So true!! I want to point out the hi-lited too. Since I had the band AND the sleeve I think I can guage that different surgeries can be cheated *but* in different ways. I know Tiffy knows this as well... You really can cheat the band quite easily and yes, the drinking while AND shortly after eating your meals is a huge one. It washes the food in your pouch right straight into your big stomach!! But for the sleeve... this is not possible. The contents you just consumed are already in your stomach. When I do choose to sip during eating (which is not all the time), I have not gotten any hungrier any faster. I do still wait at least 30 minutes after finishing - but - like Tiffy its mostly due out of habit from being banded nearly 3 years. With the sleeve though, it's true - grazing I could see being one of the biggest culprits in weight gain. That and drinking a lot of high calorie/sugar drinks or snacking on a lot of sugary things. My stomach is way too small to be able to gain on sipping during my meals and drinking right after. Especially since I rarely feel true hunger anymore anyway (this could be different for those who do still feel hunger a lot though! - however rare...). The "no drinking rule" just really doesn't fly with *this* particular surgery, IMPO.

I've never seen Dr. Ortiz.

That is great. congratulations on making the most of your sleeve!!!

I remember seeing this on some PS TV show (can't remember which) but there was some boob Dr. and he was pretty amazing. He took some WLS patient lady and her boobs deflated, but they were originally quite large. He was able to reshape them without implants. I've also heard of some PS transplanting fat cells too, so yeah I don't think it'd hurt to look into alternative ideas with your PS.

Hi there maha!! Welcome to VST!! :-) For me personally 1000-1200 calories works for me. I strayed some (not logging food and not knowing wth I was feeding myself all day), but thank goodness I had the good mind to start tracking 100% again and I'm back to a good well balanced diet. I also workout around 2 hours per day - so I'm not hardly worried about thinking or wondering if 1200 calories is too much. That is pretty standard for anyone in weight loss mode and one who does vigorous workouts as a part of a healthy lifestyle. I have also gone back to eating healthy carbs. I eat fruits, veggies, whole grain breads, etc. I can't seem to function on the Protein only diet. I started doing that and it worked well for awhile until I started back up with my workout routines and found that my body does not want to release any weight. So, I'm tweaking my eating plan to incorporate the "good" sugars back in. I have always lost weight doing this, so I do believe it should work for me again. However everything is still in trial and error mode for me right now. I'm barely only 4 months out. I imagine I still need to lose anywhere from 65-85 more pounds... (wow when I say it like that... that sounds fantastic!!!! ). Pretty much you just have to work out different plans until you find the one that burns the fat fastest for you. I've been through enough weight loss attempts to know what works for me best, and that's what I'm doing now. I've only been doing this for a few days, so the jury's still out - BUT - something tells me it will. Good luck!!!

Wow!!! That's some story - however it sure seemed to work out in your favor! All the best in your upcoming days. You will certainly LOVE YOUR SLEEVE!! Be glad it worked out in the end, for I had a band too. Note I said HAD. You also have the absolute right mindset, you will surely lose with the sleeve... and diet (I call it healthy eating) and exercise.

I have been losing my hair for almost a month now. It got pretty bad for a minute and I started to feel a little worried. I started taking Biotin 2500mcg religiously once I realized I was seeing lots of hair in the drain and after brushing. I do not wash my hair every day - as is a golden rule for those of us who have curls. So, that at least helps with the hair not pulling out as much. Anyway I have noticed a slight thinning of my hair. Nothing really bad and for me worrisome, because my hair is naturally very thick and very curly. I have plenty and as long as it doesn't continue to fall out too much (fingers crossed) I should be ok for awhile. I have noticed that something is working - I suspect its the Biotin. I have a bunch of tiny little growths that like to poke out on my head! I have to try to slick them down because they kinda just do what they want... I have also noticed that the hair isn't falling out as much as it did in the very start. So, good!!! I hope that's it - but not to worry it does start growing back at some point. So far mines lasted from about 2.5 months out to start and I'm almost 4 months out now and I have some regrowth (quite a bit actually) already.

I received this email from a friend today. How fitting for this situation: _____________________________________ THE TONGUE CAN BE YOUR WORST ENEMY! Your words, your dreams, and your thoughts have power to create conditions in your life. What you speak about, you can bring about. If you keep saying you can't stand your job, you might lose your job. If you keep saying you can't stand your body, your body can become sick. If you keep saying you can't stand your car, your car could be stolen or just stop operating. If you keep saying you're broke, guess what? You'll always be broke. If you keep saying you can't trust a man or trust a woman, you will always find someone in your life to hurt and betray you. If you keep saying you can't find a job, you will remain unemployed. If you keep saying you can't find someone to love you or believe in you, your very thought will attract more experiences to confirm your beliefs. If you keep talking about a divorce or break up in a relationship, then you might end up with it. Turn your thoughts and conversations around to be more positive and power packed with faith, hope, love and action. Don't be afraid to believe that you can have what you want and deserve. Watch your Thoughts, they become words. Watch your Words, they become actions. Watch your Actions, they become habits. Watch your Habits, they become character. Watch your Character, for it becomes your Destiny. The minute you settle for less than you deserve, you get even less than you settle for. Thought I would share this with you. In the search for Me, I discovered Truth. In the search for Truth, I discovered Love. In the search for Love, I discovered GOD. And in God, I have found Everything. Be Blessed Watch how your circumstances and situations begin to change when you change the way you speak. Pass this on to as many people as you can, so they can change their lives, too. 'Life is like melted butter. ... .once things cool down, it can be reshaped!' "Great minds discuss events. Average minds discuss ideas. Small minds discuss people." _____________________________________ ...so know, it's up to YOU how you will fail or succeed. Certainly not what anyone else thinks. Good luck to you.

Whooooot!!! Congratulations young woman!!!!! You are right to have done this so young - you are on the right track. I think you're being young is helping you to lose as fast as you are!! Good for you, as I'm 37 and I've been so flux with my weight I find it harder and harder every time. It's ok though, this is going to be the LAST time -- FOR ALL OF US!!! I'm super happy for you - and SUPER CONGRATS on getting your workout on... that P90X looks brutal!! Can't wait to try it out myself...

I was charged 11,250.00 -- but that was for him to remove my lap-band as well. I do believe he charges a bit over 9k for just the sleeve alone.

Your Dr. sounds like the smartest man alive to me right now. BTW, I'm in Sacramento (you mention in your sig line your Doc is at UCD Med Ctr)... I wish I'd known about him earlier! I do love Dr. Aceves - but it would have been nice to have someone close by. Anyway, I just wanted to say - I totally agree with him 110%. That is why I'm making my weight goal very loosely. Pretty much when I look in the mirror and say I'm done - and my health charts are good, I'll be done. I only based my "goal" on the highest end of the BMI chart. I personally feel I'm quite close.

SN................Starting Wt........Current.......Goal.....Lbs to Goal Avilda......................275.................187..............177..............10 Brendasgonnalose...335............233..............225..............8 Cherice95405.......248............... 177............ 164..............13 Chilo1.....................216................160...............154..............6 Coops ...................238................191...............177...............14 Cwalker.................250.................180..............170...............10 Daisy......................237.................138.............130...............8 DJackson..............229.................229..............215.............14 HollyW...................259..................233............215..............18 Ibejjo.....................249..................249............229................20 Juliarh...................230..................219..............215...........4 Kimmes................239..................222..............200............22 Kgremmy.............225.................210..............199..............11 Laylasmojo.........242.................180...............170..............10 LeslieH..................212..................212.............199..............13 LilMissDiva...........235..............233.8.............220.............13.8 Mellifrits.....210.................132..............125..............07 Meriteri................240...................187.............170...............17 MichelleLee..........252..................222................199..............23 MINI-Me...............203..................124.6............125..............0 & holding! Mommy2Girls.......275.................240..............228..............12 Moniluv.................190.................190..............178..............12 MRSKOUBIK........317..................283.............267..............16 pattimomof3nj......203.4..............163.2..........155...........8.2 Sailorgirl.................240.................220..............200..........20 Secret Surgery34..........205.........179............165...........14 Sleeve 4 me.........166..................165.............156..............9 Sweatinitout..........245................170..............160...............10 Yolanda240...........236.................203..............170..............33 PlannerGirl………..…327…..……..…..275……..……..255…………..20 mlr777...........200.8...........174.6............160.............14.6 tlang262 - Texas.....240.......240..............230..............10

All together now!!! :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug:

You are so right Chilo!! I just did my first real 5k in I don't know how long. My knees don't hurt and I just feel incredible!!! I haven't been able to do that (with jogging not only walking) in well over a year now. YEAH!!!!!!

Sheesh you got me crying and I have a meeting in 5 minutes... haaa!! I just wanted to say, I'm gonna take some pics of me in those pants too and post em. Just wanna see how that looks. And yes, they literally do fall to the floor when I put them on. I have to hold em up, and could probly fit two of me in them.

Feed love the idea!! Coops, you tacked on to it and hit the nail on the head (pun intended?) You ladies crack me up!!! No escape... I noticed my FB page would get eerily quiet when I would talk about WL and all that so I started up a page specifically for it. That way I can tell all those that give a rats behind and all those that don't won't need to hear it. No sweat - I can have the best of all worlds!

Awwww and TOUCHÉ!!!!!!!!! OMG you made me smile so big, I'm almost tearing up here.. seriously! I know, I'll find a way - I usually do... just trying to make it through this dragged out crazy slow near asinine plateau I'm going through right now! And yes, I'm going to try on my gigantic pants tonight. LOL Thank you doll, you really REALLY made my day!! PS, you sound like you're doing excellent with the water then - IDK, maybe we just really are slow losers? *sigh*