RJ'S/beginning

I went through so much and still am going through a lot 15 months after my sleeve surgery. I had everything that can happen except die..And there was a huge chance that was going to happen...So would I do it again?!!!!!!!!!!! YES I would so fast it would make your head spin. I have lost over 180 lbs and feel a lot better even with what I am battling with now. I can now clean my own house, walk all I want. I am back cooking again and I can even touch my toes. I go where I want and sit where I want and no one is looking at me or making fun of me anymore. I can hug my grand daughter tight to me and she has to tell me to let her go because i want to keep her next to my heart all the time. I wear clothes from a regular store and no sleep apnea, migraines are limited. No stomach meds and no blood pressure pills....i could go on and on.......................................For me I was dead before I had surgery...the fact that I survived...makes it so I can have a second chance to finally live...........And I am..I am not saying it is a piece of cake that would be a lie...but for the most part it is the best decision I ever made....And i almost paid with my life for it!!!! no regrets here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Awesome!!!!!!!!!!!! love it.....can imagine it happening too.... Thanks for the smile!

I stop drinking fluids 30 min. before I eat and wait 30 min. after I eat... Somewhere on this forum is a great video about what happens when you drink while or just after you eat...the more Water put into your sleeve the less dense the food becomes that you ate. It opens the flap at the bottom of your stomach and it starts to leak out and then you do not have the holding tank working as well as it should. It will not allow you to get as much acid to break down what you ate as well so you won't get the greatest amount of good from what you are eating.....It is that simple. Most of our food is broken down in the lower intestines but it gets the help it needs to do the bast job it can by starting the breaking down process in the sleeve.... Hope this helps!

I read this quote today and thought of all of us. and how we have lived our lives doing what was expected of us to our own detriment..... Loved it! What and how much had I lost by trying to do only what was expected of me instead of what I myself had wished to do? Ralph Ellison

Gman... The average person has 8-10 lbs of skin. Well the formally obese person may have a lot more considering the stretching of the skin. Ex. When you blow up a balloon and let the air back out it does not go back to its original size. If you do that to a balloon over and over again. It will not even go back close to the size it was. We are all different and have been bigger or smaller. Age and genetics also play a part in how much skin would have to be removed...This info came from my doctor this morning........ I found it interesting! Even a plastic surgeon can't tell for absolute how much skin he will remove until you are on the table. He can estimate but not calculate until it is being done. I never thought of that. That 's right. So if a guy is average if he weighs 200 pounds but is 300 pounds at the most he would be 50% bigger in the skin department. So instead of 8-10 pounds he would have 12-15 pounds. That does not take into account internal fat which doesn't stretch skin. That sound right? We know that our kidneys are protected by a layer of fat....and so there is fat inside us as a protection against falls or whatever trauma we may endure. Fat is released as we stop eating as much. Hopefully excess fat. Starving that body can cause death. So there is a part of us that still needs fat to keep us alive.But yes. Like you said...The higher you weighed the genes you were born from and age will determine how much excess skin will be there. I have been over whelmed with this subject since my family started to go into a spin about it. I no longer feel that way. My body will adjust to the size it is supposed to be on its own and that is that. Then I will worry about the next step. I do however have to add more complex calories the day of workouts and the next day as well. Your body burns calories up to 48 hours after a workout. A hard work out. so I will listen to that advice and work on that for now and wait for my consult with plastics later.... Wish I were one of those that bounced back like an elastic but it was not to be. that's okay though it is just part of the journey for me! All good!!!!!!!!!!!

Gman... The average person has 8-10 lbs of skin. Well the formally obese person may have a lot more considering the stretching of the skin. Ex. When you blow up a balloon and let the air back out it does not go back to its original size. If you do that to a balloon over and over again. It will not even go back close to the size it was. We are all different and have been bigger or smaller. Age and genetics also play a part in how much skin would have to be removed...This info came from my doctor this morning........ I found it interesting! Even a plastic surgeon can't tell for absolute how much skin he will remove until you are on the table. He can estimate but not calculate until it is being done.

I eat nuts and seeds just like a squirrel. Almost every day. I love them. No peanut butter though... Allergic to peanuts and the butter! I am not sure I want to slow down the weight loss just yet either. i need to remember what my team told me and go by them. And hopefully the family will calm down some as they see I am not keeling over..LOL

I listened to your song you love and it was sweet and had a real tone in it for exactly the struggle of the journey we are taking. the ups and downs and remembering who we are inside. Thanks for the listen!

i suffer from chronic depression and am one of those that the meds only take the edge off. but this time of year it creeps up on my like a dark shadow. I have found that the only thing that works is either riding it through or upping meds for 3 months....I can't stand feeling off like this...since i tend to be kinda off anyway..lol Sorry you suffer the same fate....Not nice eh! RJ, I went to a therapist and she diagnosed me with Major Depression, and that is why I am on meds too, so I know what its like and I hope that someday I can figure out how not to be depressed but for now I just go along with the swing of things? I know right now is my bad time too, but of course I live in new england and it is freezing here and we have had sooooo much snow this year and I really hate the snow and the cold and so it makes it that much worse??? I feel off most days too and trust me I am not all here anyway, lol but being more off is just that much worse? I know it will pass, but I suffer from depression all year and it doesn't get a whole lot better? I sometimes wonder if my weight and my health has a role in it cause I hate my body and the way I look? So anyway I hope you feel better soon!!! You deserve to!!! How you feel about yourself can contribute to it. And even make matters worse. But it is not the underlying issue. I have lost a tone of weight and feel much better physically. but without fail this happens every March until May. It does help to feel better about where you are in your life and what you have accomplished for yourself. But it has not changed for me..I plunge into this every year around this time..... Went to the Doctor today to ask what he want to to do about this and he said we are taking bloods to see where your Vitamin D is and where you are in minerals and other Vitamins. Then he said we are going to get to the bottom of this....OKAY if you say so.......... He said that if I went to a warm climate for the winder this might not happen. I told him saying that makes me feel old.....Dang!

That is very, very sweet of you to offer your personal help...A kindness not always available. you are a true spirit to this forum...Thank you!

Of course I have sad...but it intensifies something horrible in Mar and Apr. May it starts to settle down. Not only do I recoil but I find myself off balance and dizzy and feeling totally hopeless. A trip down south is unattainable for me this year or any year for that matter. Times are always tough...LOL.

i suffer from chronic depression and am one of those that the meds only take the edge off. but this time of year it creeps up on my like a dark shadow. I have found that the only thing that works is either riding it through or upping meds for 3 months....I can't stand feeling off like this...since i tend to be kinda off anyway..lol Sorry you suffer the same fate....Not nice eh!

Well it has reared its ugly head again this year and right on time. For some reason and I don't know why I experience a deeper depressive state. I know this because I wake up at night feeling panicked and shaky. I detest it and always hope that next year it won't happen. I used to get extra drugs this time of year to get me through it but I don't have my shrink anymore on call...lol Sure wish I knew a way to lesson the dark feelings that engulf me through March and April......I have never figured it out and have no idea why. There is more sun now and it is getting stronger. So I should really be feeling better. But no!....This is my norm for this time of year! I am fighting the urge to stay in the house and not go outside for anything, and to keep talking as usually I don't talk much when this happens. Possible good thing for hubby!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have a tendency to hide away. Keeping everything as calm and quiet as possible....Basically not living. That is the old me. I have to press on and take myself out of my comfort zones, so I can grow and change and benefit from my new life....It is becoming more and more difficult right now though.... Anyone else suffer a darker and deeper depression this time of year? If so what do you do about it? Do you do what I always do and up my meds for a few months? Just wondering! Thanks!

I am a sleever and feel exactly the same way about how I do this journey. I do not eat as I would if I were on a normal 1200 calorie diet. I believe in moderation and balance. The other way did not work for me either. so I do have a cookie when I want one. I too eat better then I ever have in my life and I chose wiser choices not just because they are good for me but because I actually like the taste and flavors and what it does for me. I refuse to see this as another diet ( failed ) This is my life for the rest of my life and I need to live it in the real world not in a place where lettuce is the number 1 item on the list to eat. This is a journey for me as well. A life long change that I work hard to embrace and help others as much as I can. However, bailing after you have received the help you needed from this forum is just not nice. There are new people here that need your help as much as you needed others as you were finding your way. I feel paying it forward is the right thing to do. Not jump ship when it gets a little frustrating answering the same questions over and over again. We needed help and others do to. We are in a society where there is not a lot of help out there for people who have WLS. I am sure B- 52 you have a lot to offer folks on here that are considering or just started their WLS journey. Don't be like the others that moved on....Be there to help others as you were helped..... Feel free to tell me to do the same if I decide to leave as well..Okay!

You will find that you do not go as much as you did before. Your not taking in the amount of food that you used to. The body uses the food thoroughly now, So it is not that we are not eating enough or drinking enough Water. One thing is that we are not used to how little we have to go. You know the feeling of constipation...A discomfort in the intestines and stomach as well. A pressure there as well. Most people who are on an Iron supplement also suffer from constipation. Myself I take a light laxative called Senokot S. I find it is gentle and effective. Now that I can eat solids and have for a long time I eat Raisin Bran every day and that seems to really help as well. Some people take milk of Magnesia as well for constipation. I find a 1/2 c of bran flakes with lactose free milk is doing the trick for me.....

Whaddya mean there's no volume in Scotland?! We're all the volume required, darlink; just the two of us As for the international conference aspect? Yeah, I could go for a bit of that.. Just as long as everyone had badges detailing their internet names. And it was made mandatory to wear them. Why? Well, when the fur starts flying, I want to be able to identify the main parties, recount what had 'gone down' accurately and whilst happily chomping on my protein-rich popcorn and sipping my diet margaritas, I could take bets on the 'favourite' of the day. Win: Win Just for you sweetie I will wear a placard saying that I said it, I did it, I'm sorry..as I walk into the room....Better to be humble from the get go you know then let others take you out. Would love to see you and all the of the others that have helped me along the way!!!!!!!!!!!!! Awesome Rev. Aww, loves ya. You have no need for a placard, darling - unless it says simply 'Wonderful RJ'. I could have a field day creating some for a few others though.... S'okay. You can sit next to me and help me collect the bets, chomp the popcorn and drink the margaritas. How does that sound? Sounds like a good time...only I can't drink....

You look fantastic!!!!!!!!!...But your journey will never be over...there is lots to learn and lots to do and lots of great things a head of you.....Lining is a wonderful thing.

I ask that question all the time.....15 months out and always freezing...The insulation is all but gone...So now the extra blankets, heavy sweaters and warm fires in the wood stove.....Really did not count on this as I have always been toooooooooo hot all the time.....

You may find the information you are looking for on this site: http://www.provostbariatrics.com/can-you-really-stretch-your-pouch/

Whaddya mean there's no volume in Scotland?! We're all the volume required, darlink; just the two of us As for the international conference aspect? Yeah, I could go for a bit of that.. Just as long as everyone had badges detailing their internet names. And it was made mandatory to wear them. Why? Well, when the fur starts flying, I want to be able to identify the main parties, recount what had 'gone down' accurately and whilst happily chomping on my protein-rich popcorn and sipping my diet margaritas, I could take bets on the 'favourite' of the day. Win: Win Just for you sweetie I will wear a placard saying that I said it, I did it, I'm sorry..as I walk into the room....Better to be humble from the get go you know then let others take you out. Would love to see you and all the of the others that have helped me along the way!!!!!!!!!!!!! Awesome Rev.

Okay folks this is what I have learned from your replies..which were very helpful and kind.. 1) I have to encourage my family to see that I am doing the right thing for me. 2) That no one knows what is going on in your body but yourself and that they should trust you unless you are out of control...which I am not! 3) That the only way to measure how much skin, is when you are on the operating table and the surgeon starts to cut. 4) The main issue is to keep a healthy goal in front of me at all times. 5) Expect people who love you to try hard to protect you. 6) I must step back and see myself for who I am and stop looking at myself in my fat head kind of way. 7) Yes I do believe that after surgery there will be more weight loss because of the surgery effects. Poor appetite from the surgery itself. Must take that into consideration. 8 ) Talk to those who have had plastics to get a better idea of what they experienced so that I can gleam from their experiences. 9) And the most important.....Quit being anxious about a event that will happen down the line, not right now..I need to work on my training and body rebuilding before I can even think about it. Thanks everyone!

Well said Gman...I also feel that there is not enough information out there that is helpful to those who are entering this process or have started the process. There is nothing like experience to teach yourself and others how you can get through the difficult times of this journey. They are not a lone and that is so important. It is to me to have been able to find people on this forum that encouraged me to keep going, who gave me strength when it was impossible and even when I didn't like some of the answers I knew where they were coming from...So it was all worth it to me and so therefore I want to give it back....You know " pay it forward. " There are so many views about different issues. you can sift through them to see what applies to you. While others will find other information helpful... I am so indebted to the people who have helped me a long the way. I am the only person I know personally that has had weight loss surgery in my area.... Great post Gman!!!!!!!!

How did your Doctor depress you? Can you expand please?

LOL She did come out fighting..silly girl..I love her for it..but to me it is now a waste of good energy...And frankly I really didn't care what was up that ladies butt.....I did feel a warm glow over my body when she told me what she did....She was a mom-ma bear for sure...!!!!!!!!!!

I am on board here too Alex...don't know where I would fit in being from a different country. But ready, willing to help any way I can....This is so amazing to be given these opportunities to help in my new found life. i so want to help others!