LilMissDiva Irene

Fantastic!!! Keep up the great job!!!

Thank you so much Tiffy! I feel a little better, but thinking that only you responded.. wow - I think we are in the minority here. I guess it's not such a bad thing. It keeps me from eating a lot of the things that kept me fat for so long - ESPECIALLY DORITOS!! I really can't stomach them anymore than a handful really. After that I'm left feeling pretty yucky. To be honest, and supposing this is normal, I hope it doesn't go away. I am still going to ask Dr. A about it when I see him next week too. I'm looking forward to my check up and hopefully everything is going well in there... Thanks again lady!!!

What an amazing and successful year for you!! You give me so much hope and inspire me to run a 5k in less than 25 minutes!! LOL!! I'm a long ways from that - but someday... Good for you!! Looking forward to hearing more of your successes in the future.

If you are interested let me know. I'll make a list of what I have, if I get any responses. If not, off to the Goodwill they go!!! Shipping will need to be paid by you if you want them. Not a bad trade-off!

Howdy September Sleevers!!! Another week... another check in!! I wonder where everyone is? It would be nice to see more posting here. Even if you can only post certain NSV's or just anything - all of it is GOOD and worthy of note!! Hey Julia, no big deal. I only lost one single pound this last week as well. Boy I've been really REALLY on point these last few days and was hoping and hoping for at least another to show up, but nooo... LOL It's ok - I'm 100% back on track now after the Holidays which I won't lie, I'm very glad to FINALLY be past them. I really need to make sure I hit goal before next September rolls around!!! It's always been so hard for me to be good and lose weight, much less maintain during this time of year. So that was me, I lost one pound, which is great!!! But the super good news is I'm back on track and feeling VERY determined. I had some awesome NSV's over this weekend so that one pound loss was added to other things. I'm just *this* close to fitting a pair of pants I haven't fitted in since I was a teenager! WOW!!! I just LOVE MY SLEEEEEVEEEE!!!!!!!! Until next week SS'ers!!!

I just want to quickly add, that the sleeve has ALREADY saved me several times. This is and has always been the worst time of year for me. I'm always really great about losing weight from January through about September. Once the holidays (starting with Halloween) roll around - I start gaining massive and significant amounts of weight. I have NOT once done this since being sleeved. I have even lost some weight in there. I can only imagine how amazing I'll do once I'm in the "zone".

Hey there kooky!! I think there are some tickers that you can log in as far as miles, minutes etc if that's something you might like to do. Your routine sounds great!! Check in whenever you can so I can see how it's going! Today I did 30 Minutes on my stationary bike. I'm going to do some miles on my treadmill later too, and some calisthenics as well. Once January starts I'm going to stick to my routine 100%!! It's not going to be easy, but I have to do it. Especially the walking or treadmill. I'm not losing if I'm not doing that!!! Good luck everyone!!

No... to an extent. I've always been able to lose weight and rather quickly too. However I would always get *almost* there and then always gain all the weight back and then some. My hunger would always take over, and when I get like that I would eat and eat and eat... So, no. This is truly the first time I have felt like I AM going to get all the way there, and STAY THERE!!

Hey now!! This is something I can really get into here... In total I will need to have lost 180 Lbs. I'm more than halfway there - so I'll have a list of things I can do now that I couldn't at my highest (or even a few months ago) AND a list of things I still can't wait to do when I get to goal. THINGS I can do now: Cross my legs comfortably Put on my shoes without dying of no breath Run on my treadmill Run up a few flight of stairs Put on some clothes that I haven't fitted since I was 19 years old!! (Yes I saved them all these years...) Fit comfortably in my car with plenty of room to spare Fit in a restaurant booth comfortably Walk withouth waddling like a duck Walk faster than other people out and about Find and fit clothes in the Misses section instead of Women's only Wear shoes without a bubble of fat popping out of the top Wear a bra that doesn't require 4 or 5 hooks on the back!!! (or even 3!!!) THINGS I still am waiting to do when I get to goal: I am going to Disneyland!! NO JOKE!! I am going to go to amusement parks ALL THE TIME!! I am going to own nothing but silk panties Wear a Levi's Size 8 Run in a Marathon (someday... LOL) Get my boobies inflated Have all the excess skin removed Feel healthy enough to have a baby or two, and that I can keep up with them Never feel self conscious eating in a public setting and folks can see me eat Be able to go into any store known to WOman and be able to fit clothes in them Be more competitive for a Managers Position and not fear I didn't get chosen because I'm "fat" Get off my HBP medications completely!! (nearly there!!) Not always wonder if I'm the fattest one in the room or group Finally having people stop asking me how much more weight I plan to lose - because I won't need to! Feel comfortable enough to tell ANYONE how much I weigh because it's not a ridiculous amount!!! Wow, I think that's a pretty sizable list. LOL!! I'm sure there's much more - but I don't want to put anyone to sleep.

Hey Pam, that is great!!! Congratulations on all your success so far - as you are doing really really AWESOME!!! Thank you for sharing your story with us, you are so inspirational to many of us! And look at you! You are nearly half-way to goal -- ROCK ON!

It definitely all comes down to genetics, length of time of obesity, age, etc etc... maybe even just some kind of good luck. I would surely not put off having WLS in fear of having loose skin. The longer you wait the older you get and the longer your skin stays stretched out - it only worsens the loose skin after the fact. There is no law saying you have to get PS done, even if its semi bad... so if it's not so bad then you can just live with it. It can always be covered up. You can't cover up being obese!! Trust me, I tried... I also know that the further out time goes from your weight loss your skin can kind of "snap back" a little bit too. And yes, doing some toning will help your skin by filling out the excess and I believe also helps the skin stick to muscles more. My skin always looks best when I'm making sure I'm toning my muscles.

Hi Brownbear, Well unfortunately I've not heard of this before. I hope someone can chime in with some info to help ease your mind. I hope everything turns out ok, and that it's actually not a big deal... Hugs to you!

Hi Blessed, I would definitely talk something like this over with my surgeon prior to moving on to the next step. I know there have been many here who call and ask if it's ok to move to the next stage earlier than what is written on the guidelines. Be careful, your stomach staple line is still healing - you don't want to jeopardize your health for a few bites of potatoes. I'm not saying you did hurt it, it's just best to run this by your Surgeon *before* doing it. I hope this helps.

All the best to you this afternoon!!! Hugs!!!

I'm going to try to describe how it feels... it feels like there is some pressure going on in there. Like, whatever I'm eating is instantly changed into air compression and it pushes against the sides of my stomach. Then my stomach will feel semi nauseated. Not really bad at all, not even enough to make me not take another bite - but it definitely is telling me "not too much there girlie!!" After a few bites I have to stop because with each bite it multiplies. It gets gurgley and upset... I'm just curious if this happens to anyone else? Here are some foods that do this to me (or anything made with them or from them): chocolate or any kind of candy Potatoes Corn Most fruits (except banana) Bread (or any variation - ie pretzels) Crackers I am about 3.5 months out of surgery. Does this go away eventually (assuming there are others who feel this way) ??? Is something wrong with me? My stomach has pretty much done this from the first time I've been able to eat this stuff. I still remember having some potato Soup during my full liquid stage. It made me so nauseated, I felt just awful!!! I really don't eat potatoes now, ever! It does this to me more than anything else, and several times so I just don't eat it anymore.

I have had both since surgery, and both still do make me really full and really fast. I can only eat a handful of tortilla chips before getting stuffed - then there is no room left for anything else worth eating! Also, the tortilla, I pretty much eat out all the insides first and once that's done I'll eat a bite or two of the tortilla and I'm done. I do eat low carb, but not as low as most on this site. I do workout a lot and eating nearly no carbs leaves me with zero energy. This surgery kind of forces the low carb though because your tummy can only fit so much. Not only that, the white carbs make my stomach feel kind of weird. It makes me *not* to want to eat them. Even fruit - so the sugar has to be limited for me. I'm not all that sure how common this is...

Hey there Mark! Welcome to VST!!! It's nice to have you here! This new tool is going to be a big learning curve, but once you figure it out and you see how fast the weight is dropping and how soon you reach a new smaller size, you will be ever so thankful! It will make you *want* to stick to the smaller portion sizes and pay attention to your full signal. Not only that, it's just NO FUN to be too full. It's really unpleasant... All the best to you in your new journey!!! I'm sure you AND your daughter will love the new you!

Well, I did indulge some on Christmas. My sleeve is still super tight so I was only able to eat a few bites here and there. I snuck on the scale yesterday and it shows I've lost, so I guess it didn't hurt any - however that probably means I could've lost more had I not eaten all that junk. Oh well, Christmas only comes once a year and for once I felt semi-normal. For me, that keeps my stress level down and as long as I'm not stressing, I'm losing. I love me sleeve!!!

You may very well be out in Recovery right now. Hope all is well with you - and check in when you're feeling up to it... AND... CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!! :party4:

Sure what it sounds like! That is great, thanks for the information Anna! I will get my proofs in order to take to the tax guy...

Hi Sarah!! Wow, what can I say – you are really doing an amazing job here!! You are very inspiring. I’ll tell you what though; I sincerely appreciate your candor. You keep it real and you explain that even though you are losing really great, it’s really hard sometimes. Congrats on reaching Twoterville! It sounds like you are going to move right through it. Good for you!! I believe too you will reach the Century Club sooner than you set for your goal. At least I’m hoping for you! Even if you didn’t though, you are doing such a great job, you should feel nothing but proud of how much you have already accomplished. I do understand your feeling too about losing weight. It was like a cocoon to me, and food was my shelter too. I have noticed that since I can’t eat to satisfy my feelings rather than only physical hunger, I find that I am much more moody. My husband agrees, but I think eventually I’ll settle down and become more normal. At least I hope so! I also go through the whole thing where I look in the mirror and still see the old “fatter” me. Seeing as I’ve lost nearly 100 Lbs from my heaviest, there’s no way that’s true, but it is what I see in the mirror. I am overly critical of myself in my photos too. I literally have to place the photo side by side to see any make up from where I was. It is a very classic signal from those suffering from eating disorders, which I too suffered from. I have to be very careful with myself. There are many different ways in which folks have to strive to have a healthy relationship with food and self. Though I never forcibly made myself vomit (and only because I dread this more than most other things) I would still do many other things to rid myself of too much food. It’s not easy to admit, but I think just doing this is the first step to correcting this behavior. Weighing daily or even more is also an obsessive behavior that I have to be careful of as well. I actually put my scale in the garage where I know I won’t sneak on it in the morning. It’s too cold!! I don’t know what I’ll do once the freezing weather is over though… LOL All the best to you Susan! May you continue on your journey of success and becoming a better you!!!

I had my sleeve revision done by Dr. Aceves in Mexicali. My PCP knows all about it and she is very open to helping me along post op. She did a panel for me, which everything looked great and wants me to come in every few months to weigh in. However, I am still going to get the big check ups with Dr. Aceves. I am going to see him on January 8th for an upper GI to see how everything is going in there. It doesn't hurt to talk to your regular Dr. though, and it really should be advisable. They should know everything about your medical history. HTH!

Hello Sasi, thanks for the update! It sounds like you have been really busy in the last weeks I remember having to go through many boring classes and sessions when I went through insurance with my band. However in the long run and once you are on the other side, you will find that you are thankful to have gone through them. They can be super helpful when you're first starting out, and even longer down the road. I'm even thankful now that I had a band even. I learned SO MUCH with it!! It is helping me now to have the utmost success with my sleeve. All the best in the upcoming weeks!!

Hi Dayle, Wow, I'm very sorry to hear you had a rough time in the hospital. I would say Congrats on the loss but the road to it was more suffering - so I'll just leave it at that. I do hope you get to feeling better fast, and that you can get to be happy for your new sleeve. Get plenty of rest and follow your Dr.s orders, and I'm positive for you that you will get well soon. Hang in there!!

Yay Becca! I hope your leak test goes well and that you continue on the easy track back to full recovery! Thanks for checking in, and yes I'm super glad you got your broken (literally) band out. That just could *not* be good having the jagged edge tubing rolling around your insides like that. Hugs to you!!