TakeCareGirl

I am so friggen excited! Today I went into my surgeons office for a refill of my acid reducer. I happened to see him in the hall and he was super happy with my progress. So happy in fact, he asked if he could get my weight. I weighed in at 147. I am 4 1/2 months post-op and have lost 85% of my excess body weight. He gave me a high five, took a picture and pretty much skipped away. He told me that his original goal for me was 65% EWL because of my PCOS, HBP and other health issues (all of which are gone)
I am still 12 pounds from my personal goal, which will put me at a BMI of 23, which would be most ideal for my body type. If I lose much more than that, I am afraid my skin will not bounce back as I would like. Maybe 130 so i have a little bounce room. I want to be healthy looking, not too skinny.
Other than probably loosing 2 lbs of my weight in hair, everything else is going great. I have finally got my acid reflux under control with Lansoprazole 30mg twice a day, which is only 5.00 a month for a copayment. This is now the only prescribed medicine I take. Blood pressure, high blood sugar and metformin for PCOS all discontinued. My size 8s are getting roomy (I was a right 16 and a XL or 1x) and honestly I don't look too bad naked, considering 3 kids, c section and surgery scars. Best of all though, truly..I am healthy and feel fanfrickentastic. It's amazing. Lose the weight of a 9 year old boy and everything stops hurting
I see often on the boards people say that they get pissed when they see someone around 'only' 200 LBS have surgery. I was at my highest 218, and at surgery 209. I was slowly but surely KILLING myself. I feel like a new woman, I look like a new woman and am here to tell all of you 'low BMI'rs' that if you have tried, unsuccessfully to lose that extra weight and only see yourself moving up...research, research research and then GET YOUR LIFE BACK! Don't wait till you are 250...300...400 pounds. Seriously! By no means was this easy, but besides having my children and marrying my hubby, it was the best thing I ever did for myself, and for them.

The other night my boyfriend and I were cuddling on the couch and he had his head on my chest. Out of nowhere he said "you must be in a good shape." I said "HUH?" He repeated himself. I still didn't know what he meant but I never thought I'd hear those words in my life! He said "your heart rate is ___. That's really healthy." (I don't remember what it was exactly.) Yes, he's a nerd. But he's also a cardiology nurse.
He knows I've lost weight but not about the VSG. I'm five months post-op and I've known him for less than 3. I keep saying I'm going to tell him but I always chicken out when I'm with him. I've lost 130 and still have probably 90 pounds to lose but after 28+ years of being obese I NEVER expected to hear myself described as "in good shape." However, I have noticed a decrease in my heart rate. I check it before, during and after a work out.
I love the NSVs!!! There are so many you anticipate and look forward to and yet still so many you can't even imagine. I hope VSG has positively impacted your life as much as it has mine!

You are gorgeous! Congratulations!

I discovered some of these in my freezer earlier in the week, reminding myself these make a great Breakfast. Before VSG I used the recipe below and was then putting them in the larger six cup muffin tin (I've often used that instead of doing it in a pie plate when having people over for brunch). Since that size is too big for my breakfast now, I'm going to try the 24 mini muffin tin and have 2 for breakfast.
Crustless Spinach Quiche
Prep Time: 20 mins | Cook Time: 30 mins | Servings: 12 | Difficulty: Easy
1 Tablespoon Vegetable Oil
1 teaspoon Minced Garlic
1 cup Chopped Onion (about 1 Medium Onion)
1 package (10 Oz) Frozen Chopped Spinach, Thawed And Drained
5 whole Large eggs, Beaten
2-½ cups Shredded Muenster cheese (or Whatever You Have On Hand - I Find That The Sharper The Cheese, The Better!)
¼ cups Grated Parmesan Cheese (plus 2 Tbsp. For Garnish - Optional)
¼ teaspoons Salt
¼ teaspoons Freshly Ground Black Pepper
1 pinch Crushed Red Pepper
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9 inch pie pan (or appropriate muffin tin).
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft. Stir in spinach and continue cooking until excess moisture has evaporated.
In a large bowl, combine eggs, cheeses, salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper. Add in spinach mixture and stir to blend. Pour into prepared pie pan.
Bake in preheated oven until eggs have set and the top is slightly browned, about 25-30 minutes. Remove and let cool for 10 minutes before serving. If you’d like, top with additional freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
*I also love using this recipe to make individual-sized little quiches. You can either use regular-sized muffin tins (15-20 minutes cook time), or the cute mini ones (about 10-15 minutes). Just be sure to prepare the tins well with cooking spray (or use muffin liners), and watch to be sure that they don’t get overcooked!
Source: Protein

Congratulations on your weight loss and new home!

Wow, you look positively amazing. I find your story so relevant because we were at a similar starting weight. Congratulations!

Surgery 8/20....down 102 as of today...wow....did an 8K Turkey Day Morning....I don't know how to behave, friends...I got on an airplane this week and for the first time in 13 years....NO EXTENSION!!
Thanks for all of your support. :Reading your stories has inspired me!!

Congrats!
My sugars and BP are much better as well, hoping for similar results as you withy diabetes.

You are looking great!

I had surgery 8/27/12. I am officially down 43 lbs. I have never felt better; physically or mentally. Life is wonderful. Onward and downward!!

One week before surgery


40 days post op and down 27lbs.

3 months post op and down 43 lbs
3 months post op down 43 lbs.

Made this tonight - absolutely loved it. (My six year old doesn't care for shrimp so it made dinner for me and five other 3-4 ounce servings).
125 calories, 5g. fat, 5 carbs, 12 grams Protein per serving (when recipe is portioned to 6 pouch size servings)
Cilantro Lime Shrimp
Prep Time: 15 | Cook Time: 15 | Servings: SERVES 6 | Difficulty: Easy
1 T. butter
1 T. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 jalapeno, finely chopped
¼ tsp. red pepper flakes
½ tsp. Mexican oregano
2 roma tomatoes, chopped
1 lime, zest and juice
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. black pepper
1 pound shrimp, split and deveined
2 T. chopped cilantro
Melt the butter and oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, onion and jalapeno. Cook, stirring until the onion begins to wilt, approximately 3 minutes. Add the red pepper flakes and oregano. Continue cooking until the onion becomes translucent, approximately 3 additional minutes.
Add the tomatoes. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes are soft. Add the shrimp, zest and lime juice, salt and black pepper. Cook until the shrimp are just opaque. Be careful not to overcook. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cilantro.
Sent from Paprika Recipe Manager. http://www.paprikaapp.com
http://www.lanascook.../#comment-32338

hey there - haven't been around in a while just wanted to update everyone, I'm 70 lbs down in 4 months and doing great. For those interested I've kept a (rather relaxed) video blog, located here ->
happy to answer any questions!
Brian

And I feel absolutely amazing!!! I am down 61.6 pounds since my surgery day! Thanksgiving was not as tough as I thought. I had turkey with no skin, had a bite of a few other things and I was full and satisfied without sabotaging my eating for the day! This was the best decision I have ever made, my only regret is not doing it sooner. This not only saved my life but enhanced it in so many other ways. It is hard to describe how life changing this really is. I have a long way to go still but have had a great start! Just had to share how great I feel

My weight loss journey began the day I waked out of the initial seminar. That was on Sept. 27th, 2012. I met with my surgeon on Oct 12th and then had my first Nutritionist appt on Oct 15th. I then had my first Psych evaluation on Oct 29th followed by my final Psych eval on Nov 5th. Later in the day on Nov 5th, I had my EKG, Chest X-Ray, Bloodwork, and Gallbladder Ultrasound done. On Nov 19th, I had my final Nutritionist appt. I have a Cardiologist appt scheduled for this Monday and then later that same afternoon, I meet with the Nurse Practitioner. The only things I have left to do are my 3 workshops and they are scheduled for Dec 3rd, Dec 10th and Dec 17th. I find out my surgery date on the 10th and I'm super excited!! My 30th birthday is on Dec 27th and I'm thinking that mysurgery will take place on or around that day. Happy 30th to me!! This whole process has flown by insanely fast! I have lost 15 pounds since Oct 15th and couldn't be more proud of myself and ready to be reborn! Thank you all for posting all that you do and sharing your journies with me (as I follow them all the time)... You all help inspire and motivate me. I thank each and every one of you and may you all succeed and do so great!! Cheers to us!!

Hello Everyone!
My name is Aleshia, I am 23 year old and married to the best man in the world (I know everyone says that ????) I had the Gastric Sleeve surgery Oct 2 and all together including what I lost before surgery I am 70 pounds down!! I still have a long way to go but I so happy with my progress so far! I can't wait to meet you all!!

Today has been exactly four weeks since my surgery! It is also Thanksgiving. And you know what? I don't even care! I figure that as long as I get my Protein in and I listen to my sleeve, I can splurge a little. By splurge, I mean have a bite of something that tickles my fancy. Just a bite, too! I am not going crazy on the things that I would normally, like rolls and coleslaw (my grandmother-in-law makes the best homemade coleslaw!) and potatoes and gravy. I didn't even have any of the above. It just didn't sound great to me! I had a bite of banana cream pie and it was delicious, but I refused to have any more! I really only had turkey and other things that have protein (deviled eggs, pickle wraps made with roast beef).
I'm not even adding all of this into My Fitness Pal. Why? Because I think it is necessary to have a day to be more relaxed. I have stuck to a strict diet for the last month and I know that even out of all of the bites of things that I had, I haven't surpassed my personal calorie goal of 800. And if I did by a little, I am okay with that. Any other day, my heart would probably sink if that happened. Today, I am having a me day and it feels good.
In short, Thanksgiving isn't getting the best of me! I am using moderation, my sleeve, and my protein first motto and am not missing my old way of eating at all!
I hope all of you are having a great Thanksgiving with no cares!

My new birthday will be 11/29/2012. I will be sleeved that day and start my new life.

Congratulations!

I feel sooooo good from a 22 to a 14 from a 2xl to a L yay me

I made these tonight and drizzled with blue cheese dressing - they were really good. They were a little mishapen as the meatball mixture was a little runny - so in the future I would probably start with just one egg. My recipe made 18 balls, using 3 balls as a serving, MFP calculated 1 serving with 269 calories, 1 carb, 21 grams fat, 19 grams Protein. A lot of the calories and fat came from the butter in the sauce, you could always omit and just drizzle the balls with the plain Frank's sauce if you wanted to drop the calories.
chicken or turkey
2 oz cream cheese, softened
2 eggs
2 Tbl chopped celery
3 Tbl crumbled blue cheese
1/2 tsp black pepper
For the sauce:
1/2 stick (4 oz) unsalted butter
1/2 cup Frank's Red Hot
Combine all of the meatball ingredients in a medium bowl. Form into about 1 inch balls. Place them on a greased cookie sheet (with sides) and bake at 350 degrees (F) for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine the Frank's and butter in a small saucepan on medium heat, or place in a microwave safe bowl for 2 minutes on high.
After 10 minutes, remove balls from oven and dunk carefully (they are tender from the cream cheese and could fall apart if you are too rough) in the buffalo sauce.
Put back onto the cookie sheet and bake for another 12 minutes. If you have leftover sauce you could pour it over the meatballs and bake for another 3 to 4 minutes if you want them really saucy.
Source: http://www.ibreathei...not-really.html

Wow, that's amazing! Congratulations!!!!!!!!!!!

Congratulations! That's amazing!

Bless your heart, you are not alone, you have the people on this board, and you came to the right place.
There will always be doubters. You've worked 7 months to get here as you said, and you can't let them stop you, if you know in your heart you are right.
And you are right - it is NOT easy. Just taking it one day at a time. Hugs and hang in there!

Bless your heart, you are not alone, you have the people on this board, and you came to the right place.
There will always be doubters. You've worked 7 months to get here as you said, and you can't let them stop you, if you know in your heart you are right.
And you are right - it is NOT easy. Just taking it one day at a time. Hugs and hang in there!

I also had the wonderful Dr. Jones through the Park Nicollet program, surgery at Methodist on September 25. In my pre-op apppointment Dr Jones gave me some parenting advice that was also aimed at ensuring I take care of myself. I will never forget it. Everyone on the staff is wonderful - I especially like Candace one of the bariatric nurses. Overall, I had a great experience, short recovery and everything is going well!
Good luck!