Teddy bear

Hey Raven.... My parents & whole family were one of those people who thought this operation was the easy way out.... and God knows how many days I spent trying to convince them...why... cause my dad was paying for it ...... they don't know how it is to spend 30 years struggling with weight & moving from one doctor to another & one diet to another... they don't know that food is an addiction as well as drugs & alcohol.... and I am sad to say I was a food addict.... can they imagine someone who can't stop eating for 24 hours.... who is blindly led to the fridge and couldn't help it... so when I started choking in my sleep many times, and had an almost stroke... I just had to stop and think..... I'm going to die soon and my kids will grow up without a mom.... so I had to do this and I fought for it..... I didn't have the money or the support but I struggled and in the end, I didn't get any support from anybody, but at least I got the money ))

I will definitely not miss these things:
1- Having a foul smell in some places due to friction, and actually living in the shower.
2- Choking in my sleep... really scary.
3- Feeling sorry for myself when I discover that I just ate a meal enough for 5 people, but I just can't help it anyway.
4- Not being able to get a swimsuit to play in the pool with my kids...
5- Chair fright....

I'm a sucker for coffee..... and whenever I'm out, I always look for a place to get coffee, I usually make it simple, fat free latte, they usually have different kinds of sugar packets..... I use the diet packet, if it's not available then it's half a packet of ordinary sugar..... u do need ur energy ....At home, I use Uni fructose... I don't like the taste of Splenda..... fructose is fruit sugar, 1 teaspoon = 16 calories, I take 2 a day.....my doctor told me it's ok to take 2 teaspoons of regular sugar daily, but I like to play it safe..... Also sometimes when I haven't eaten enough throughout the day, I treat myself to an ice cold frappucino.... remember, ur not on a strict diet... ur just eating less..... a hell lot lesser......I always remind myself of that, cause strict diets is what got me here in the first place.... they don't work with me, I always cheated and felt depressed and sad, so I ate more instead.... I have issues with being restricted.... so now I feel comfortable because I Rule.... I choose what to eat, not a piece of paper..., and I know I'm making the right choices, and if I sometimes didn't, it's only a few bites anyway

the difference doesn't have to be a total body loss....especially at first.... it could be a change in proportion... like sometimes I step on the scale and don't see a difference but I could see a big difference in how my clothes look...

And the deepest darkest nastiest truth; not being able to wipe properly after going to the toilet. Or being able to wash properly.

I'm a sucker for coffee..... and whenever I'm out, I always look for a place to get coffee, I usually make it simple, fat free latte, they usually have different kinds of sugar packets..... I use the diet packet, if it's not available then it's half a packet of ordinary sugar..... u do need ur energy ....At home, I use Uni fructose... I don't like the taste of Splenda..... fructose is fruit sugar, 1 teaspoon = 16 calories, I take 2 a day.....my doctor told me it's ok to take 2 teaspoons of regular sugar daily, but I like to play it safe..... Also sometimes when I haven't eaten enough throughout the day, I treat myself to an ice cold frappucino.... remember, ur not on a strict diet... ur just eating less..... a hell lot lesser......I always remind myself of that, cause strict diets is what got me here in the first place.... they don't work with me, I always cheated and felt depressed and sad, so I ate more instead.... I have issues with being restricted.... so now I feel comfortable because I Rule.... I choose what to eat, not a piece of paper..., and I know I'm making the right choices, and if I sometimes didn't, it's only a few bites anyway

I'm a sucker for coffee..... and whenever I'm out, I always look for a place to get coffee, I usually make it simple, fat free latte, they usually have different kinds of sugar packets..... I use the diet packet, if it's not available then it's half a packet of ordinary sugar..... u do need ur energy ....At home, I use Uni fructose... I don't like the taste of Splenda..... fructose is fruit sugar, 1 teaspoon = 16 calories, I take 2 a day.....my doctor told me it's ok to take 2 teaspoons of regular sugar daily, but I like to play it safe..... Also sometimes when I haven't eaten enough throughout the day, I treat myself to an ice cold frappucino.... remember, ur not on a strict diet... ur just eating less..... a hell lot lesser......I always remind myself of that, cause strict diets is what got me here in the first place.... they don't work with me, I always cheated and felt depressed and sad, so I ate more instead.... I have issues with being restricted.... so now I feel comfortable because I Rule.... I choose what to eat, not a piece of paper..., and I know I'm making the right choices, and if I sometimes didn't, it's only a few bites anyway

Really enjoyed reading this thread and seeing how diverse you all are!
I'm 25, was born and raised in Egypt but I now live in the United States.
Looking forward to learning even more about you and getting in touch on a regular basis, enshallah.

Well....I've been researching a lot, and what I came up with is that, what u can & can't eat depends on a number of factors, first, ur operation whether it was surgery or by lapriscope. Then the size of the removed portion of your stomach, that differs from one person to another, and ur surgeon decides that..... and last, ur body tolerance.... I'm in my 7th week prior, and could eat what most sleevers couldn't... At first I was upset and thought there was something wrong with my surgery, but then I learned that not all sleevers turn out the same way

Hi everyone,
Let me start off and say I have not had the surgery yet. My first appointment is this week with the surgeon. Of course I'm reading this forum like crazy and something I've read quite a bit is that it is hard to eat all the calories required. Some people say they have more success when they eat a little more but sometimes find it impossible to eat more.
I worry about this too. Isn't staying on 500-600 calories daily just wreaking havoc with our already compromised metabolisms?
Now for the stupid question. Many people supplement with Protein Shakes to make sure they're at least getting that in-- what about trying to eat more things that are higher calorie ( of course in small portions) that give you more bang for the buck to up caloric intake? Am I crazy? It sounds like that would simplify the daily struggle. I'm not looking forward to having to obsess about tiny amounts of this and that and here and there 18 hours a day. What about supplementing with Protein and then try to have something higher calorie as a snack -- say a scoop of ice cream or some chocolate. Then maybe have chicken salad for dinner with real full fat mayo... I'd love to hear individual daily menu examples -- from all different stages.
Ok, that was just me rambling on about things that are zipping around my brain...

I haven't been posting lately because honestly.. im not sure what else to say.. I have had one hell of a journey these past 6 months.. and I feel terrific.. I just want to let anyone out there that worried know.. if you work your sleeve it will work for you!!!!! I couldn't be happier.. Im not even sure that I want to hit goal because im really happy with where i am at right now.. i always said that around 160 would be good for me because i have a lot more muscle than most so at a heavier weight I think I look ok.. So instead of waiting to hit goal I am officially posting my before and after pic. Again a huge thank u too all of you for your support during my journey I hope I can be a support for others on their journey!
anthem lap band policy.pdf me at my heaviest
weightlossticker.bmp just before surgery in oct 2011
one month post op
2 months post op
3 monst post op
4 months post op
5 months post op
...............................DRUM ROLL PLEASE!!!!!!....................
I TOOK THIS PICTURE YESTERDAY ----TODAY IS OFFICIALLY 6 MONTHS POST OP FOR ME!