Raine

I love NSV's like this!!! Made you feel like a little girl again didn't it?

WOW what an amazing difference! That is a FOREVER FRIEND! A true keeper

So happy for you! Great job!

so far today: Atkins low car/sug Protein Shake coffe 1/2 serving almonds 1/4 chef salad no cheese no croutons 2 full glasses diet snapple peach iced tea (love the stuff!) 16oz of Water

Plumbing stays in tact and you don't have to take as many vitamins. I did this to get off of my pills, so to add more pills wasn't for me.

You are doing awesome and dont forget to post those pics from the wedding.

Its up to you to make it work. The food choices and quantities you are eating are not going to make it work. The DS may be your route to go but like it was said above, it is not something to be taken lightly.

I have been using the individual packets of miralax mixed with water. I don't taste anything with it, it disolves right in the water as you stir it really good. It doesn't even leave a color in the water (which is weird to me lol). Are you using enough water to mix it? Are you stirring it or just dumping it in there and then trying to drink it? I just used it yesterday morning because it was a day and a half since I went and this morning I am all good!

I know! I am hoping that the chilliness lasts through out the summer for me lol, internal air conditioning LOL. I live in the south!

I am so happy for you! Its a long tough journey to get there but you did it. I know you will do your best in maintanence too! Congratulations, Julie.

I think the "failure" is to not utilize your tool to the best of your ability. Just like any tool you have to use it to make something happen I am a super super slow loser but, I use my tool and am now down to 2 pills a day from 20. To me if I never lose another pound that is a success!

Its not so bad but ask yourself... do you really really want it? LOL Congratulations!

Well after a size 22 pants I wouldn't buy jeans anymore LOL and would only wear legging like pants. So I guess my biggest pants were probably 24. Shirts 2-3x Now, I am in a large shirt and a 12 pants nicely and a 10 too tight.

Well said LMD, well said. Whether you know it or not you are a mentor to many of us. Just saying

The sleeve is great. There are many people here who will attest to that as well. We have some people who are 1-2 years out and are living healthy normal eating lives out there. We also have a couple of ppl who have gone off the "wagon" so to speak. A lot are band to sleeve revisions and they can give you the best information. LilMissDiva and Tiffykins to name two. One of the great things about the sleeve is that you will still be able to eat almost anything later, just not a lot of it. That was my issue, quantity of food. Good luck and I say go for it! What do you have to lose? Except weight that is LOL.

You did it! Great job!

I had a real problem with it too and use Miralax. I only use if if I haven't gone for two days, then I use it and the next day on out I'm good to go. I eat a lot of salads now so I don't have too many problems in that department often anymore. But for me Miralax is what works.

I am carb sensitive so if I eat too many and 60 for me is too many, I gain weight. I try to keep them under 30.

I have been fortunate that most everyone has been very supportive. I do have one friend that I have known for 25 years that I am wondering how things will go when we see eachother next spring. She was always the tall thin blonde and me the short fat brunette. One day I was chatting with her and told her how much I lost and she said she needed to get a move on then. I was confused because the statement didnt fit in with the conversation and asked her a move on with what? She said to lose weight, you weigh less than me and we can't have that now can we! I changed the subject but wanted to say, what kind of f**king comment is that. We'll see how she reacts when she sees me in the spring and if she is snarky or genuinely happy for me. I hope for the latter because I would hate to end our friendship because that is exactly what I will do.

Lived it: 1) I lived through the approval process 2) I lived through all the doctors appointments 3) I lived through the pre op liquid diet 4) I lived through the surgery and complications 5) I lived through the emotional ups and downs 6) I lived through the post op diet 7) I lived through an 8lb weight gain Learned from it: 1) I am a much more patient and determined person than I ever gave myself credit for. Insurance companies suck, it took me a year to get approved, nuf said. I was determined that regardless of approval or not, I needed to lose the weight to live a long life. My fear, like so many others was being able to keep that weight off. 2) I learned from getting to know my doctor that he only has my best interest at heart, hence the appointments and everything that goes along with that. He had genuine empathy for me with what I was going through. 3) I learned that the if you put your mind to it and are determined you can do anything, the pre op diet was not as hard as I thought it would be and flew through it with flying colors! 4) I learned that I had to put my trust in my doctors hands, that he knew what he was doing and that I would make it through the surgery and wake up to find my family by my side. I also learned that complications do happen and that as long as you have a great doctor and hospital staff that they will take care of you to the best of their ability. 5) I learned that my emotions are freaking crazy! I was up one minute because yayyy no pills! I was down the next minute because I missed my favorite foods. I was flat because there was nothing I could do to stop my head from going through these damn emotions! 6) I learned how to re-teach myself how to eat. I learned how important the post op diet is and that it was in place to make my recovery that much easier and to teach me how to make healthier food choices. 7) I learned that yes, indeed, the sleeve is a tool and not a miracle. I tried to quit smoking and gained 8lbs. I learned what I can NEVER eat and what will cause me to gain weight at a drop of a dime. Move on from it: 1) Regardless of the outcome I was determined to do this and move on with my life. 2) Went to all the appointments that was required and not required because I was determined to do this and move on with my life. 3) 2 weeks pre op and done, moved on to the next stage because I was determined to do this and move on with my life. 4) Surgery and complications be damned, I did heal in record time and trusted my doctors because I was determined to do this and move on with my life. 5) Life is full of emotions and you get throught them, if you can't then you get the help you need to get through them (THANKS VST and WLSF) I wasn't going to let them stop me because I was determined to do this and move on with my life. 6) No more living to eat, now I eat to live (love that saying ) Food is not an enemy, it is a source of what I need to live, just like air, just like Water. I was going to get that through my thick skull because I was determined to do this and move on with my life. 7) 8lbs gained, ok, I know what I did wrong, I recognized the culprit, moi, I understood that I cannot do this to myself. It took me 3 weeks but I have lost all 8lbs I had gained and now, I am back on the "wagon" and determined to do this and move on with my life. From my all time high of 280+, I am down 101+ lbs. From the begining of my journey I was 240. From the begining of my pre-op diet 225. From the begining of post op I was 193lbs. From the begining of insanity from trying to quit smoking I was 187lbs. From here on out because I am determined to do this and move on with my life I am 179lbs. The most important thing from all of this is that I am down to 2 pills a day from 20 a day and that was my main goal. I have accomplished that and am so very, very, happy about it. Thanks, to everyone here for all your supporting words to eachother. I don't post a lot about what I am going through but wanted to do this today because .... thats right, I am determined to do this and move on with my life. For once in a very long time my future looks promising and bright. Raine

Thanks, I'll have to check it out

I am almost 4 months out and I can eat a whole 6 oz burger (no bread), 7 baked chicken wings, 2 poached eggs with 3 link sausage to give an example.

I do not have hunger, but I do have cravings. I have read that with some the hunger takes time to go away because of the excess of the hormone left in your system from your old stomach. With the cravings I guess its just a matter of fighting through the cravings and moving on.

Congratulations, you should read Tiffykins' posts she is preggers too.