thebionicbroad

I will be in the same boat but that is a great way of looking at it. Thank you for the smile today.

Thrilled, thrilled, thrilled. Saw the post-op bariatrics team last Wednesday. Kaiser defines a sucessful bariatrics patient as one who has lost 50% of the excess weight within one year following surgery. I have lost 81% in 7 months.
This forum is a wonderful resource, with many people who are very successful with the sleeve in the long-run. I want to add my experiences to the pool of information. I plan on being one of the long-runs.
To keep losing weight, I have to eat fewer than 50 grams of carb a day, and stay under 1200 calories.
No, I usually don't get all my Water in. I also drink coffee, with 2% milk. This is the source of most of my carb.
Eating too much is as bad as eating too little. Doing either one can make my weight loss stall.
I can't snack anymore. The surgeon told me that, after 6 months, it's three meals a day, period. He's right.
I still use baby bowls, a baby spoon, and 5-inch plates. I plan to use the small plates forever. I like my baby spoons, and the bowls are still portion-perfect.
Too much Protein triggers insulin, and I gain weight. At my weight, 166.6, I only need 65 grams of protein a day, according to my NUT.
If I don't eat enough fat, my weight stalls.
fruit = stall.
I cannot lose without low-intensity exercise. 3 - 5 sessions a week, 30 minutes, on a treadmill that keeps me at a pulse rate of 107 (based on age) is the key. I also lift heavy weights twice a week. Throwing a 20-pound weight around does nothing for me. I use as much weight as I can lift for 5 slow reps. I am almost to the point of being able to do a real pull-up.
I have loose skin. I am a shar-pei. But I am a proud, getting-healthy shar-pei. It doesn't bother my Best Half. Why should I care? I wore a bathing suit in Hawaii, and no one reported me to the Skin Police.
Yes, I lost hair, starting at 3 months and it has slowed almost to normal. I ate my protein, took my Vitamins, and I still lost hair. It's based on hormonal changes, just like after childbirth. I still look like a girl. If you are scared to have a sleeve because of the potential Hair loss, you aren't a good candidate for the surgery. You don't want to lose weight badly enough to be successful.
I did not have a "food funeral" before my surgery, and I followed my surgeon's pre-op diet to the letter. I've spent years eating crap. Two weeks crap-less wasn't going to kill me.
I don't miss any foodstuff. I don't cry over crap not eaten. I pull my vintage sized 14 Liz Claiborne clothes out of the closet and rejoice that I no longer wear a size 26, like I did back in 2000. If I really, really want it, I eat one small bite. Most sweets that I used to crave now taste terrible. One sweet potato fry satisfies as well as a bag of gingersnaps used to. Soda tastes like chemical-salts-bilge water. Yuk.
I goof. I screw up. I eat too much. I still emotionally eat. That doesn't make me a bad person. There's always the next opportunity to make a much better choice.
Veterans, please feel free to add on. I'd love to know what is down the sleeved road!

Thrilled, thrilled, thrilled. Saw the post-op bariatrics team last Wednesday. Kaiser defines a sucessful bariatrics patient as one who has lost 50% of the excess weight within one year following surgery. I have lost 81% in 7 months.
This forum is a wonderful resource, with many people who are very successful with the sleeve in the long-run. I want to add my experiences to the pool of information. I plan on being one of the long-runs.
To keep losing weight, I have to eat fewer than 50 grams of carb a day, and stay under 1200 calories.
No, I usually don't get all my Water in. I also drink coffee, with 2% milk. This is the source of most of my carb.
Eating too much is as bad as eating too little. Doing either one can make my weight loss stall.
I can't snack anymore. The surgeon told me that, after 6 months, it's three meals a day, period. He's right.
I still use baby bowls, a baby spoon, and 5-inch plates. I plan to use the small plates forever. I like my baby spoons, and the bowls are still portion-perfect.
Too much Protein triggers insulin, and I gain weight. At my weight, 166.6, I only need 65 grams of protein a day, according to my NUT.
If I don't eat enough fat, my weight stalls.
fruit = stall.
I cannot lose without low-intensity exercise. 3 - 5 sessions a week, 30 minutes, on a treadmill that keeps me at a pulse rate of 107 (based on age) is the key. I also lift heavy weights twice a week. Throwing a 20-pound weight around does nothing for me. I use as much weight as I can lift for 5 slow reps. I am almost to the point of being able to do a real pull-up.
I have loose skin. I am a shar-pei. But I am a proud, getting-healthy shar-pei. It doesn't bother my Best Half. Why should I care? I wore a bathing suit in Hawaii, and no one reported me to the Skin Police.
Yes, I lost hair, starting at 3 months and it has slowed almost to normal. I ate my protein, took my Vitamins, and I still lost hair. It's based on hormonal changes, just like after childbirth. I still look like a girl. If you are scared to have a sleeve because of the potential Hair loss, you aren't a good candidate for the surgery. You don't want to lose weight badly enough to be successful.
I did not have a "food funeral" before my surgery, and I followed my surgeon's pre-op diet to the letter. I've spent years eating crap. Two weeks crap-less wasn't going to kill me.
I don't miss any foodstuff. I don't cry over crap not eaten. I pull my vintage sized 14 Liz Claiborne clothes out of the closet and rejoice that I no longer wear a size 26, like I did back in 2000. If I really, really want it, I eat one small bite. Most sweets that I used to crave now taste terrible. One sweet potato fry satisfies as well as a bag of gingersnaps used to. Soda tastes like chemical-salts-bilge water. Yuk.
I goof. I screw up. I eat too much. I still emotionally eat. That doesn't make me a bad person. There's always the next opportunity to make a much better choice.
Veterans, please feel free to add on. I'd love to know what is down the sleeved road!

And don't get me started about "orientated," "conversating," and "irregardless." (Former English teacher.)

Wow, I'm 6 weeks out and still haven't been able to tolerate ANY fruits or veggies. At all. I get a tiny bite and then the stomach starts roiling....followed by a run to the bathroom within the next 30 minutes. I'm still stuck with soft Proteins and it sucks >.< It's nice to know that eventually, some day....my anatomy may be less volatile.

Most people maintain their weight to psychologically "hide" from something. Weight loss means having to face what we were originally trying to flee. Once we face our demons, we can adjust to the rapid weight loss. But people who love themselves and have no demons don't usually become morbidly obese. Whatever is said, it's still quite a mental adjustment to make.

Let's face it. Some people just plain suck, and there's not a lot that we can do about it. I think you rock.

Let's face it. Some people just plain suck, and there's not a lot that we can do about it. I think you rock.

Much of my depression was based on a pervasive sense of self-hatred for being so fat. (I was an obese low-carber.) Even after trying everything, including a Lap-band, I was getting fatter every year. My blood pressure was creeping up. Fasting blood glucose readings were creeping up, too. My ankles were swelling. My liver enzymes were not so great, and my kidney function was affected by stone formation. My left knee was going, and my hips were constantly sore. I was clumsy, and was always getting bruises. I needed physical therapy for my left shoulder. Felt 85, not 55. Insurance covered my revision, but based on results over the last 5 months, I would self-pay with no hesitation. The sleeve gave me my life and sanity back. Even if doctors found out that the sleeve resulted in growing a second nose on the side of the face, I would buy extra Kleenex and move on with my life. I weigh less than I have weighed since I was 18, and I feel 20 years younger. Come what may, I made the right decision for me.

Much of my depression was based on a pervasive sense of self-hatred for being so fat. (I was an obese low-carber.) Even after trying everything, including a Lap-band, I was getting fatter every year. My blood pressure was creeping up. Fasting blood glucose readings were creeping up, too. My ankles were swelling. My liver enzymes were not so great, and my kidney function was affected by stone formation. My left knee was going, and my hips were constantly sore. I was clumsy, and was always getting bruises. I needed physical therapy for my left shoulder. Felt 85, not 55. Insurance covered my revision, but based on results over the last 5 months, I would self-pay with no hesitation. The sleeve gave me my life and sanity back. Even if doctors found out that the sleeve resulted in growing a second nose on the side of the face, I would buy extra Kleenex and move on with my life. I weigh less than I have weighed since I was 18, and I feel 20 years younger. Come what may, I made the right decision for me.

I've always dreaded flying because of the seat size in comparison to my size. When I flew back in March to see family, I had an aisle seat. The man in the middle seat was complaining, because he hated not having any room. He looked at me and said, "But at least you're not a large person." I was speechless for a moment before I could thank him. Amazing.

Lord have mercy, no. The next time you cut or scrape yourself, grind some popped popcorn into the wound. Now, just imagine a staple line with stomach acid. Ummm, yummy.

Lord have mercy, no. The next time you cut or scrape yourself, grind some popped popcorn into the wound. Now, just imagine a staple line with stomach acid. Ummm, yummy.

Much of my depression was based on a pervasive sense of self-hatred for being so fat. (I was an obese low-carber.) Even after trying everything, including a Lap-band, I was getting fatter every year. My blood pressure was creeping up. Fasting blood glucose readings were creeping up, too. My ankles were swelling. My liver enzymes were not so great, and my kidney function was affected by stone formation. My left knee was going, and my hips were constantly sore. I was clumsy, and was always getting bruises. I needed physical therapy for my left shoulder. Felt 85, not 55. Insurance covered my revision, but based on results over the last 5 months, I would self-pay with no hesitation. The sleeve gave me my life and sanity back. Even if doctors found out that the sleeve resulted in growing a second nose on the side of the face, I would buy extra Kleenex and move on with my life. I weigh less than I have weighed since I was 18, and I feel 20 years younger. Come what may, I made the right decision for me.

:)Lissa, what an amazing transformation! You're beautiful.

Wheat affects our blood sugar worse than table sugar, and triggers the release of insulin, which makes us store fat. Think very carefully about what you put into your mouth. We don't want to recreate the issues that made us fat in the first place.

Much of my depression was based on a pervasive sense of self-hatred for being so fat. (I was an obese low-carber.) Even after trying everything, including a Lap-band, I was getting fatter every year. My blood pressure was creeping up. Fasting blood glucose readings were creeping up, too. My ankles were swelling. My liver enzymes were not so great, and my kidney function was affected by stone formation. My left knee was going, and my hips were constantly sore. I was clumsy, and was always getting bruises. I needed physical therapy for my left shoulder. Felt 85, not 55. Insurance covered my revision, but based on results over the last 5 months, I would self-pay with no hesitation. The sleeve gave me my life and sanity back. Even if doctors found out that the sleeve resulted in growing a second nose on the side of the face, I would buy extra Kleenex and move on with my life. I weigh less than I have weighed since I was 18, and I feel 20 years younger. Come what may, I made the right decision for me.

Much of my depression was based on a pervasive sense of self-hatred for being so fat. (I was an obese low-carber.) Even after trying everything, including a Lap-band, I was getting fatter every year. My blood pressure was creeping up. Fasting blood glucose readings were creeping up, too. My ankles were swelling. My liver enzymes were not so great, and my kidney function was affected by stone formation. My left knee was going, and my hips were constantly sore. I was clumsy, and was always getting bruises. I needed physical therapy for my left shoulder. Felt 85, not 55. Insurance covered my revision, but based on results over the last 5 months, I would self-pay with no hesitation. The sleeve gave me my life and sanity back. Even if doctors found out that the sleeve resulted in growing a second nose on the side of the face, I would buy extra Kleenex and move on with my life. I weigh less than I have weighed since I was 18, and I feel 20 years younger. Come what may, I made the right decision for me.

I've always dreaded flying because of the seat size in comparison to my size. When I flew back in March to see family, I had an aisle seat. The man in the middle seat was complaining, because he hated not having any room. He looked at me and said, "But at least you're not a large person." I was speechless for a moment before I could thank him. Amazing.

Much of my depression was based on a pervasive sense of self-hatred for being so fat. (I was an obese low-carber.) Even after trying everything, including a Lap-band, I was getting fatter every year. My blood pressure was creeping up. Fasting blood glucose readings were creeping up, too. My ankles were swelling. My liver enzymes were not so great, and my kidney function was affected by stone formation. My left knee was going, and my hips were constantly sore. I was clumsy, and was always getting bruises. I needed physical therapy for my left shoulder. Felt 85, not 55. Insurance covered my revision, but based on results over the last 5 months, I would self-pay with no hesitation. The sleeve gave me my life and sanity back. Even if doctors found out that the sleeve resulted in growing a second nose on the side of the face, I would buy extra Kleenex and move on with my life. I weigh less than I have weighed since I was 18, and I feel 20 years younger. Come what may, I made the right decision for me.

I couldn't reach my butt anymore to wipe it. I didn't go in a moment too soon. That's all I know.

Whew! I was worried there about my guys ...
"Uhhh ... Doctor ... there's something you didn't tell me you were going to do ..."

20 pounds from goal, and I:
1. Have a hard time sitting for long periods of time, since my butt is bonier.
2. Can't sleep on my side easily, since my knee-bones rub together.
3. Years ago, I broke a collar bone, and never noticed that it's more recessed than the other one. Never used to show.

20 pounds from goal, and I:
1. Have a hard time sitting for long periods of time, since my butt is bonier.
2. Can't sleep on my side easily, since my knee-bones rub together.
3. Years ago, I broke a collar bone, and never noticed that it's more recessed than the other one. Never used to show.

I'm 3 1/2 months post-op.
Breakfast: 8 oz. unsweetened vanilla almond milk with 1 scoop Isopure Dutch chocolate.
Mid-morning: 5 oz. Greek yogurt with 2 oz. berries. If I'm busy, I skip this and have a cup of coffee with 2% milk.
Lunch: 2 - 3 oz. of left-over dinner.
Dinner: 2 - 3 oz. Protein with a bit of veg.
Dessert: 1 Atkins bar.