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You know to them it is not a big deal, they have seen it all. But speaking for myself, my husband does not even see me naked, let alone a complete stranger!

I think it is a great idea! And I think it helps to put in perspective what "slow loser" really means. I have been sleeved for over 2 years, but it took me 18 full months to reach my goal weight. Cheri, I would say that I took a similar stance to you, although I did not track anything or count calories/carbs, etc. I made changes to my "diet" that I felt I could live with and sustain for the rest of my life. Because I chose not to follow a radical super low carb diet or exercise an insane amount, I did lose slower. But I do not have a problem with that. I still lost faster than any other time I had attempt to lose weight, and for the last 8 months I have had little issue maintaining my current weight. I really wish that people would not compare their weight loss to others as there are so many things that affect the rate at which we lose. And I also completely agree about people taking a radical stance, reaching goal, and then stopping their efforts because they think the sleeve will do it for them from then on. That is the point that you have to be even more conscious. At 2 years out, I can eat a lot more than I could at 6 months. I think if I would have reached goal in six months, I am not sure how much I would have learned about making good choices and eating a normal diet. That six month frame really is where the sleeve does a lot of the work for you. Because I lost slowly, my good habits are very well entrenched in my everyday life and I have little problems sticking to many of the "rules" that I learned in the beginning! Am I perfect? Far from it! But I am maintaining and enjoying life!

And I am going to miss it!

When the assistant starting taking "before" pictures, I actually started crying. I have spent my whole life not liking my body and being embarrassed. Now, even with the weight loss, the saggy skin bothers me a lot, so it was really hard. But to tell the truth, the surgeon made me feel more comfortable than I thought I would be! But be prepared, I wasn't even allowed to wear my underwear!! I got to stand in all my buck-naked glory!!

Being in front of a plastic surgeon, completely naked, and having them tell you everything that could be fixed can leave you feeling very vulnerable. I know too, I was there!! I was also told I was the perfect candidate for plastics and would have excellent results, which made me very happy. But I still struggle with self image and a distorted perception of my body. Most days a I feel huge, even though I only wear a size 4 or 6. So I know where you are coming from. I am not even 5'3" and weigh 137-138 pounds, on the higher end of normal for my height. Some days I feel like I should be smaller and that I should work hard to lose a few more pounds, even though I am below my original goal weight of 140lbs. But at the same time, I can see my ribs, I wouldn't want my face to be a thinner than it is, I can see the ribs in my chest above my breasts and my shoulders are boney, almost to the point that it bothers me. It is this sad distortion of reality that every woman should be under 130lbs. We rely so heavily sometimes on the scale rather than by the shape of our bodies. I am coming to realize that we all carry our weight differently. I checked out this site at one point where there are pictures of all different women with their height, weight, and clothing size (http://www.mybodygallery.com/). It was a real eye opener as I searched just my height and size and the weight range was anywhere from 115lbs to 145lbs! All the same size clothing but a 30 lb difference in weight! I do understand where you are coming from. I have spent my whole life being overweight (I started gaining in Kindergarten, was on Slimfast in Grade 5). Our brains do not see our shapes the same way everyone else does. Logically I know I do not need to lose anymore weight, psychologically, I think I should weight 125lbs even knowing I would not look good at that weight. Obviously your surgeon can see what a great shape you have, regardless of the numbers on the scale. Also, BMI does not take into account muscle or bone mass. It is simply a height to weight ratio. And trust me, most men weight a LOT more than 165lbs. My husband is a small man, only 5'7" and he weighs in the 160-165lbs range. Most men weight 180+ pounds, so you are definitely not what a man weighs! If you are healthy where you are and feel good where you are, try not to let the scale define your self worth (I know, it is the pot calling kettle...but I am honestly working on it!) And PS. Cheri, your doctor is crazy! Maybe he should do a little research on weight ranges and healthy body weights, yeesh! I am glad that you are smart enough than to let him define what you should be, good for you!

I am so sorry that you are having such a terrible experience. I really can not give any advice as I do not know what you are going through. I do know one other person that had a similar type of problem with vomiting almost all the time. Her sleeve was not made correctly and extremely narrow on one end. They used an endoscopy and stretched it out and after that she did not have the same problem. So the stent might work. But I would also consider a second opinion before going through with a bypass. Although I really do understand of how much help it would be, just the idea of all the additional problems it can cause would make me hesitant (dumping, Vitamin deficiencies, etc) I am praying for you for a resolution to your issues and a quick recovery.

I would be lying if I said I did it solely for my health. There were so many reasons that I did it, for my health, for my self-esteem, for my future. I was 31 with no comorbidities. I had worked my entire life to lose weight since I was grade 5 and I started Slim Fast. I hated being in my body every day. There were also a multitude of obesity related illness that ran in my family and I knew it was just a matter of time. I had 2 small children and I wanted to be healthy for them. I wanted to live to see my grandchildren. I wanted them to have a good role model. Now I am healthier than I ever have been. I can take my kids tobogganing and play with them at the playground. And I can go shopping wherever I want. I can usually grab a size small off the rack and know it will fit. I am more at peace in this new body of mine than I ever have been in my entire life. So I wouldn't really say it was partly vanity. It wasn't just to look better, it was to feel better about myself. I love my sleeve!

It took a long time for me to be able to tolerate breads and pastas. I am over 2 years out and can eat it now, but only in small amounts and only once in a while. Starchy foods are not a sleeves friend!

I don't even by sour cream now, my hubby just uses my greek yogurt and has no complaints!

I am so sorry that it has been so difficult. Are you on any kind of acid reducer?? It looks like they have done a lot of testing, but have they given you anything?? Sometimes the feeling of being hungry is overproduction of acid. This can also lead to nausea and reflux pain. It is a shame that your own surgeon is so un-supportive. Is there any support groups in your area that you can attend?? Through that you might be able to find not only people that support you, but a good doctor that can give you a proper diagnosis.

I hear ya~ Chips go down way to easy. Like I said earlier on, it is the one food that I can not control so I will not keep them in my house!

I struggled through Christmas and gained 4 lbs, but it mostly gone now, just back to normal eating. If food is in front of me, I eat it, even if I am not hungry! The more junk I eat, the more I crave it too! Once I was home, it took me at least a week before I stopped craving stuff. Plus, my hormones are the devil. I can tell every point in my cycle because I will start to want to eat like there is no tomorrow! I know that I have a problem with food and being a food addict, so I have really tried to set my life up for success. I do not keep anything in my house that I know I will eat. I have turned a lot of the foods that I enjoy into sugar free, low sugar or low carb. I made many changes that I could live with, not a drastic diet that would help me lose quickly but I would not be able to maintain forever. I was a really slow loser, so I have been maintaining now for about 8 months without struggling. I wish I had the problem of dropping too much! But I never thought I would. In the past, no matter how hard I worked, the weight came off slowly, so I was not surprised when it came off slowly even with the sleeve. I do get hungry, but it is not really the same as before. Like you said, it is sort of an empty feeling. I get a little twinge in my stomach but nothing like before surgery. I hope it stays too! We will have to keep in touch, it is sometimes hard to find people on here that are 2 years plus out to talk too. I think this is when a lot of us need the support the most. The losing was the easy part, the maintaining is always the harder part. Most of my new habits are entrenched now, so I can't see myself having a lot of problems, it is just the brain stuff sometimes that gets to be. The 4 lbs gain over Christmas almost drove me off the deep end!

I just realized that I misunderstood your question! Oops! From what I understand, unlike a bypass, the portion of the stomach that is the sleeve portion is very muscular and does not stretch much. I can eat more than I could at the beginning, but I still have really good restriction. The best thing is to listen to your stomach. Even now, one or two bites extra is too much for me. Eat slowly and when you start to feel even just a little full stop.

Like everyone said, it will come. They pump you full of gas and fluids and it all makes you feel like crap. I gained 10lbs after my surgery and didn't lose anything until I was almost 2 weeks post op! Take gas-x or something like that, it helps get the gas out. Also, you are not eating anything, it is pretty normal not to go. Just be careful, it is really easy to get constipated. Good luck!

I know you probably don't want to hear it, but it honestly gets better. I remember being exhausted for at least a month afterward. By 6 months out I was eating fairly normal, and now over 2 years out, I live a pretty normal life. The beginning is the worst. You feel like ****, you can't eat anything, and you keep thinking "What the hell did I just do to myself". Good luck and I hope you start to feel better sooner rather than later.

We are not too far apart, my two year anniversary was at the end of November 2012. You look amazing and have done amazing! You should be so proud of yourself!! Congratulations!

Thanks Ladies! I have never worn anything so tight in my life! And when I got married, I was at my heaviest, so I didn't even feel that nice. I did feel good, and my hubby really appreciated it too!!

OK, not a black dress, but the fanciest dress I have worn other than my wedding dress almost 10 years ago!

I am not sure when you had your surgery, but it can be common to get depressed afterward. I had to try 3 different anti-depressants before I found one that worked for me. Everyone is different, so I recommend that you go talk to your doctor as soon as you can. Is there any surgery support groups in your area that you can turn to for support?? Family?? I know logically you know that your husband can not help that he is deployed, but emotions are not always logical! And for me, my depression was an angry depression. I called myself mean mommy because I was always irritated and yelling at everyone. You are not alone. I really encourage you to talk to your doctor before things get worse, especially between you and your hubby.

I have not heard anything like that either. I know with my program, they want you to stay away from alcohol in the losing phase because it is very high in calories. You will also not be likely to have any kind of carbonated kind either, especially beer. The carbonation is very painful. The only other caution is like mentioned above. It takes very little to start feeling it, so take it slow! I am over 2 years post-op and enjoy the occasional beverage.

I am o- blood type and have had no issues. I am not sure why he would mention it. The only thing I can think of is that when you are o- blood type you can only get o- for a blood transfusion, so your options from the blood bank are a little limited! Other than that, the negative Rh should have no impact on your surgery.

Congratulations!! That is an amazing accomplishment!

The way you are right after surgery and in the few weeks following is NOTHING like it will be, so don't worry. Like many have said, it gets better and pretty soon you will be able to drink pretty much like normal. I am 2 years post op and can drink a 500ml bottle of water quickly, without issues or pain. At first, really cold drinks bothered me, but not anymore. Now it doesn't matter! The only thing I have had trouble with, believe it or not, is plain water. And I have heard it from others as well. It just does not sit right. So right now I drink Arizona Sugar Free Lemon Iced Tea because it is sweetened with splenda until I can find a stevia alternative.

Good for you! I used to be a pop-o-holic and then when I was trying to lose weight a number of years ago, I quit and never really drank it much. But I did enjoy a glass or 2 when we would go out for supper or a movie. Now, I can have a few sips, but anymore than that, and I get a wicked stomach ache and I am 2 years post-op.

That is the great thing about the sleeve, it is so much easier to get back on track. I am also 2 years post op, and I still follow a lot of the the post-op guidelines. No drinking with meals, Protein first, lots of fluids. The biggest thing for me is keeping the junk out of my house. If it is not there, you can not eat it. I think this is the biggest part of my success. The sleeve did not give me more will power and it didn't change my tastes. I still love the bad stuff, and if it was in my house, I would eat it. Also, the 5 day pouch test is a good idea. It is tough, but it is meant to help you get rid of those carb cravings. The more high sugar high carb foods you eat, the more you crave them. And look at it like this. You lost 90LBs! That is a great accomplishment. And, yes, you gained back 7lbs. But without the sleeve, you probably would have gained back all 90 and maybe then some! If you have great restriction and you are committed to trying, you can do it!! The sleeve is a great tool, work with it and you will do great!