allnewme

I just thought I would pop on here and give you guys an update. I know that a lot of people stop posting once they reach goal or get about a year out, etc. but newbies and others what to know how it is to be sleeved this far out and what is going on at that point, so I thought I would continue to post monthly at least. I started out at 234 in August of 2011. Its been 14 months today and I am under my goal by 2 pounds. I have lost 101 pounds so far. I had been maintaining for five weeks but dropped another two pounds this weekend. I am going to have plastic surgery in 6 short weeks- so excited. I am having my arms done, my thighs done and a lower body lift that includes a Tummy Tuck. I have some lose skin issues and I want my body to be as good as it can be for 44 years old! I have worked hard to achieve this and it saddens me that I have lose skin. Admittedly, I didn't exercise as much as I could have and I am not sure how much good it would have done anyway.
I am very happy with my results and I hope to maintain this loss for the rest of my life. I can eat more now, that is for sure, but not a whole lot more. I was eating about 6 to 8 bites of things for most of the year, at a meal but now I am up to about 12 bites. Translation....about a half cup during the year and now about a cup at a meal. If its meat, not even that much. I still dont eat rice, Pasta, bread. Its too hard on my sleeve. I do eat potatoes occasionally but only a few small bites. I mostly eat meat and cheese, a bite or two of veggies. I eat whole wheat crackers with my cheese but only two of them. I also eat Peanut Butter on mini vanilla wafers for snack. I cant hold many so that is good. Potato chips are sliders for me so I only eat them occasionally. I am pretty set in my routine and I love it! I eat what I like and it works for me. Good luck everyone with their own personal journeys! Please feel free to message me or respond to this thread if you have questions or you think I might be able to help you in any way. I want to be present for those behind me, just as the veterans helped me with my journey. I am including a new comparison pic in this post.

I go home tuesday so one week total in Puerto Vallarta. Feeling so awesome, I'm 4 days post surgery. Every say just gets easier and easier. You can follow my blog at fatchickgonewild.blogspot.com. I've been tracking my journey thus far.

Still only halfway to goal, but I'm really getting excited now.
First photo was 274, second is 213. Surgery was 4/9.
 

Happy dance....first time in my life Im in the 150's. Best day in years!

I think the lighter you pack, the better. Comfy clothes to wear to hospital and to the hotel. Pj's that are not binding at your waist, comfy bra and panties. Slippers or flip flops for walking in the hospital. Lip balm and minty breath spray. I only took one gas x strip during my hospital stay. I took a clamshell eyeglass case to keep my lip balm and breath spray in. I kept those things close at hand for the first 24 hours. The mouth dryness is awful. My surgeon provided iPads for us. It is easier to pack lightly and not have a ton of bags to lug around. I did take some bottled Water for the flight home. We purchased it at Walmart by our hotel after surgery. You can always buy something to drink because you really won't be getting much in the first few days anyway. Take some Crystal light packets, the milder the flavor, the better. I washed my hair at the hospital but only used my blow dryer and straightener the day we left for the hotel. I should have just pulled it back into a band and not worried over taking hair items. If I were doing it again, I would take only what I absolutely needed, I packed way too much for the trip.

I was sleeved on 8/02 in Piedras Negras by Dr. Alvarez. I had a wonderful surgery experience there. He is an awesome surgeon and I never felt at any time that we were in any danger. My husband traveled with me and we stayed in the same room at the hospital. I do not regret going to Mexico for surgery at all.

Oct 9th my 8month sleeve anniversary, 89lbs weight loss and took 3 tests last night and it shows I'm pregnant!!! YAY, this was my main reason for the sleeve. We've been married 7 yrs and had no luck .. Omg soooooo excited!!!

Ok....you asked....
Any "religion" that centers on man and man's power and ability is destined to fail.
The one true God of the Bible, who is the sovereign of the universe is the only one worthy of praise and glory. And that is our purpose. To glorify God. It is HIS wrath we are under, and He has gifted us with the answer to that problem through the Lord Jesus Christ because he loves us. God is not a power hungry ogre just waiting to cast us into Hell. He is perfect love and joy waiting with outstretched arms for us to answer His call.
We are not banging our fists on the gates of Heaven, wanting to be let in, yet He is keeping us at bay, instead... We are all running as fast and as hard as we can straight for Hell, but in His divine sovereignty and love he stops this one, and this one, and that one, turning us to Him and welcoming us into His family and Kingdom in eternal splendor. That's where I am.
I may have never been quite so vocal on this site about this subject, so I may lose friends, but... that's what I think and feel about it. The Holy Spirit confirms this in my soul.

I love my sleeve it's been five months since surgery and I can't believe how much I've changed since then. I'm including a video i made for my five months but i looked back on the first videos i made and i cannot believe how much i had let myself go.. it is so apparent.. but never was when i was that size. My highest weight was 277 my Surgery weight was 261 and i am now 199 went from a tight 24 to a size 16.. this is totally amazing to me in five short months..
I thank god and praise him for allowing me to finally have this surgery and to be where i am today. My sleeve has worked amazingly for me.. There's nothing i can't eat... just things i won't eat to sabotage myself.. I've stayed away from bread and Pop totally, but anything else in small amounts My sleeve has never been irritated by any food and I've never thrown up thankfully since surgery. I still keep in contact with my doctor and coordinator and they are thrilled with my results. If you are thinking about this surgery find anyway you can to get it done!!! IT works and it's amazing!!

I was also sleeved in Mexico on 8/02. My Dr does not use a drain and I had a perfect recovery. I asked about a drain and he said the normal procedure is no drain unless he is doing a revision. Drains are another way to introduce bacteria into your abdominal cavity. I personally did not want one, so I am thankful he does not use them unless it is needed. I did much research and chose Dr. Alvarez and he is an amazing surgeon. He costs more $ but I was willing to pay it and I have never been sorry.

For me any ready to drink shake is nasty, way too sweet! I use only Unjury Protein powders, they are top quality medical protein. You can order canisters or packets. If you leave out the banana, and use PB2, you should be fine. Add some banana extract ( you can find it in baking supply stores) and they have tons of other flavors. You can make something similar but cut way back on the calories and carbs.

Oh, As noted, the lack of liquid diet hasn't hurt my results. Here is a pix before and after posted showing 3 weeks (1 pre liquid and 2 post pureed).. SWEEEET lol

(W)onederland!!!!
Sorry, I know it's dorky but I'm so stoked. It's been slow going and seeing this number has revived my patience.
Onward and upward.

Started at 333, and am down to 240!!! Don't remember the last time I was down this far!!! And if that's not good enough news...I'm "too skinny" to shop at the Big & Tall stores now! Gotta find me the SKINNY & Tall stores now!

Well, I have to say that was not a very Christian statement. To redeem our sister in the faith let me offer some scriptures for guidance:
Galatians 3:28
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
1 John 2:9
Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness.
James 2:9
But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.
John 13:34
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.
Also, I have to say going to Mexico to get my sleeve was my first trip to that country and although I was nervous crossing the border, I had a great experience and found the Mexican people to be some of the nicest and friendliest I've ever met. I don't regret my decision and hope one day I can go back on leisure to enjoy the beauty of the land and the people.
God Bless all God's people

I have never been a big Water drinker either. I was told to find something that I like, that my sleeve likes and have it with me all the time. It was an experiment every day at first. Now, at two months out, I know what my sleeve likes. I carry a Tervis cup ( invest in one) with water mixed with propel water on ice. I drink it all day, except when waiting to eat and digesting. Do I get in all my water each day? No. But I still try to. It is getting easier to drink more at one time, not baby sipping any longer. I never got dehydrated but I concentrated on drinking from the start. You have to do it, it is not easy or fun right after surgery. You have to work to find out what tastes good and it is a pain in the rear!

I went to MX and have not been sorry. My surgeon was wonderful, I had great care and I healed extremely well! Good luck to you!

I went to MX and have not been sorry. My surgeon was wonderful, I had great care and I healed extremely well! Good luck to you!

I went to MX and have not been sorry. My surgeon was wonderful, I had great care and I healed extremely well! Good luck to you!

Checking in with the Fabulous 50's...I'm really happy today. I hit the 70 pound loss mark. 40 pounds to go. Surgery was May 3. I had to go out and buy new clothes this weekend because I have a couple of week long business trips coming up in colder climates and there is nothing in my closet that fit! My most recent NSV is that I can now fit in Chico's clothing! And not even their largest size! The sales associate had to keep bringing me smaller sizes. It felt awesome. And, bonus, This was the Outlet store that had tons of sales!!!

It is normal to be afraid. It is all unknown to us. I was crazy scared for awhile and then I had peace about it. I was not really scared the day of surgery ( only of the IV ), it was much easier than I ever expected. I had very little pain and no nausea. I am two months out now, have healed very well and am beginning to feel normal again. Do not let fear rule your life or your mind.

It is normal to be afraid. It is all unknown to us. I was crazy scared for awhile and then I had peace about it. I was not really scared the day of surgery ( only of the IV ), it was much easier than I ever expected. I had very little pain and no nausea. I am two months out now, have healed very well and am beginning to feel normal again. Do not let fear rule your life or your mind.

You are doing so well! Congrats.

I think all of us should feel that our surgeon is the best, otherwise we would not have trusted him to do our surgery. I never started this journey with the intention of going to MX but that is where I ended up. I found a wonderful Dr and found absolutely nothing negative on any forum about him. I made the choice to have him do my surgery. He cost more than most other Dr. In MX and that was my choice. I could have been self pay at a hospital 45 minutes from my home. Did that Dr have the credentials of my MX surgeon? NO he does not, I made the choice to travel several hundred miles so I could have better surgical skills and care. I loved my Dr and received wonderful care, medicine and friendship from him and his staff. I can still call him or email him at anytime and he is there to help me. Just because he is not a US Dr. does not make him bad, nor does it make those if us that choose to go to him wrong.

I am almost 6 months out now and have had all the thoughts and frustrations described. I found if I got on the scale daily I would get more frustrated. I set up 1 day a week to check my progress and that seemed to help. My weight loss has dropped considerably over the past month but I know I am at the point that I will start leveling off. I also had a slow start and had a lot of expectations going in. Your body will catch up with the reduced calories as time goes on just stick to your program and you will see. The weight didn't come on overnight and it isn't going to come off that way either.