slimagainsoon

I have the card too... soooooooooooo convenient!! I can barely eat a kid's portion... grateful they don't make me pay full price! I went out to eat with my 8 yr old one evening... we paid $7 for dinner! I guess I'm a "cheap" date... LOL

I find having goal clothes very inspirational. I have a few items I try on weekly and I Celebrate as they get closer and closer to fitting. I will say, I've wasted a few bucks this way, though. I've had a few pairs of pants that went from tight to weirdly baggy as they weren't the right cut and a dress that hung weird once it fit.
I am extremely goal oriented and competitive so "rewarding future me" is something that works for me. I am not one that gets down on myself and when I am having a blue moment, I shake it off quickly. I no longer reward myself with food, so buying a few pretty things is going to have to do. I do leave the tags on now, though!

Thanks, all!!...considering that I am 40 pounds away from where I would expect to wear a size 12, I'll keep it and hope that in another month I'll rock it!

In my honest opinion, the style of the dress is cute on you. But for me I hate stripes so no, I wouldn't wear it. If you like it, rock those stripes!

In my honest opinion, the style of the dress is cute on you. But for me I hate stripes so no, I wouldn't wear it. If you like it, rock those stripes!

Hello Dec sleepers. My surgery was on Dec 3rd. Was weighing 226 and 209 day of surgery. My six mt ck up I was at 166.7. I only weigh myself once a month. Everyone is doing a great job. Loving my sleeve!

I had a few twinges during the three month qualifying stage but I also had my first real jitters about the surgery right before I started the two week liquid diet. I guess that is what made it real for me. I too think what you are experiencing is normal and to be expected. For me personally my faith is what calmed me and got me through. The only "trouble" I had was recovering from the anesthesia. I threw up in recovery because of it and wanted to be left alone to sleep instead of going to radiology to drink the gross stuff and have them take a picture of my stomach. I was a little sore the next day kind of like I had done sit-ups. The best advice I have for you is to make sure you keep a positive attitude. Expect to have a good outcome, expect to do well. Will be praying for you!

Actually terrified. I has seen something on the Discovery channel a few yrs ago about "ACCIDENTAL AWARENESS". So I was sure I was gunna be the 1 in a million or so that experience it. Didn't have to do but a 24 hrs liquid diet. Had my surgery this past Tues and got home today. In alot more pain than I had expected (he had to literally cut my band off cuz it had eroded into my stomach), so I'm hoping that the reason and it's not becuz I'm a woos.
Totally normal to be scared. If you weren't scared, we may think something is wrong with u!!!

Yep, I did. And was not happy with it. I began at 496lbs and am 5'10". I never imagined I would ever come close to 250, let alone where I am now. I was very fortunate and was down to 200lb at one year post op. I became so fixated on getting to a "normal" BMI, which for me would be 174lbs, that I just kept doing the things I had been to lose. I got down to 177. Woo Hoo me, right? Nope. I felt like crap, my joints hurt when jarred (like jumping down from a ladder) and I did not like how I looked, my face was way too thin for my comfort. My body fat was less than 9% which, per my DR was too low. So for the first time in my life I made a conscientious decision to gain weight. (How crazy is that!) I am now living my life in the weight range between 185 and 195 with a body fat between 12-14%. I feel great, look relatively good and can do all the activities at the level I want at this weight range. Can one lose too much? I believe they can. I do think that each individual needs to make the determination of their ideal weight range is based on their lifestyle and it should not be based on charts or what is "normal".

I do not want to dismiss your very real question or upset you.
But please excuse me while I laugh my @$$ off for a moment!
Phew. Okay, now that my somewhat bitter giggles have subsided I'll chime in.
I wish I could have lost more than I wanted. I think that you'll find the number of people that get too small is much, much lower than the number of people tempted to chop off a limb to lose that last five or ten pounds to goal.
The good news? You really can stop losing whenever you like. You just transition into maintenance and a more balanced approach to eating with increased calories and carbs. You find what you can eat while not gaining or losing and you stick with that program. It's very easy, actually.
And being a man, you'll find it much easier to add bulk and muscle weight if you hit the gym harder than usual.
I also think that other people have no idea how to guess/estimate what another person weighs. I've heard everything from 120 to 160 for my weight (I'm 144 at the moment) and that's a pretty big range.
Stop where you're comfortable. If you get too small, trust me, it's easier than you want it to be to pack on a few pounds.
Congrats on your success - you've obviously worked hard to achieve your goal.
~Cheri

When i first started this journey i thought ok im 300 pounds now i think getting down to 180 would be good right? I still feel this way. The problem is i feel really skinny and people think that im about 150 or 160 pounds at the moment. Im not complaining because i feel better than ever.
Here's where the issue lies..... 7 months ago i was 300 pounds and i was about a 50 in the waist today i am 184 pounds and a 34 in the waist. I still have a couple of months before i get to my year. Im more than sure ill end up around 160 170. If i look like im about 160 now and im 180 what will i look like at 160 when i really do weigh 160?
Any body out there ever been worried about losing to much weight? Or actually lost more weight than anticipated? Dont get me wrong this is not me complaining or confessing regrets i love the new me i actually have muscles and abs! lol ....i just never wanted to be the skinny guy.

20 years unable to get below 220 and easily gaining 30 lbs in a year. Fearing the next 20 years, and the next 30 lbs. Highest known weight was 269. Learning about the sleeve was the answer, for me.

Mind you I'm not taking it personal because I'm trapped in a skinny body but I have a far girl mind I lost 97 pounds in 6 months my mind have not gotten there

I don't agree w some of you just because there skinny don't think they dont worry about weight gain ... You all feel the need to think its something else you do have skinny ppl that worry just because the see fat ppl and that the reality but it's hard to put yourself in their shoes because some use aren't there yet but I've been called skinny I worry about my weight but a person that doesn't kno me would think other wise because I'm skinny I think we should be mindful of others we hate when stereo type us for being fat and we do it to skinny ppl for being skinny

I hope to be one of those skinny beotches that gets cold when its 80 degrees instead of sweating like a roasting pig!

I tell people they can call me a skinny biatch all they want!! I'm 90lbs down in 8 months.

Now you have me scared. Just got home today from a Tues surgery and am, still pretty miserable. No one warned me about the pain involved. I know its surgery, which I have ahd many of, but this one seems to be the worst. I don't find your post encouraging at all. Now I'm pretty scared. Thought once Id passed the phase of a "staple line leak" in a week or so, I would be in the clear. If they took out 85% of your stomach to start with, whats left for them to take?
Scared. Needing some security

The good: I'm 10 weeks out. I'm off all blood pressure meds and have been since 1 month post-op. I can cross my legs comfortably. I can paint my toenails without getting short of breath. I can go up 4 flights of stairs easily...no sweating, no shortness of breath. I haven't been this weight in 15 years. I've gone from a size snug 20 pants and 2XL shirts to size 18 pants (almost getting into 16s comfortably) and size large shirts.
The bad: I had a splenic infarction post-op (lost blood flow to 20% of my spleen due to a clot). I started to get sick with chills, high fever and severe left upper quadrant pain four hours after I was discharged and was readmitted for 2 more days because of it. I've fully recovered since.
I lost control of my bowels at least 3 times immediately post-op in the hospital and it was diarrhea. Very humiliating. It happened at home at least twice as well. I have since learned to never trust a fart!
I had a lot of incision pain.
I struggle with Water intake.
I struggle every day with Constipation.< /p>
I hate the loose skin that used to be my double chin. It makes me look and feel old. Do I want the double chin back...NO!
Do I regret it? Sometimes. But then I think of all the good that has come from it. I can finally see light at the end of the tunnel.

let's see...keep in mind I am only two months out myself...the bad is that this is a major lifestyle adjustment, and no matter what you are going to have many times of temptation (at parties, during meals with friends and family, etc.)...even though everyone will keep telling you during the first few weeks to hang in there, drinking those gross Protein Shakes and doing without solid food is going to be tough...you will also have low energy and possibly some pain...I was fortunate not to have any surgical related pain after coming home and very little gas pain...also, don't expect for sure that you won't feel both "head" hunger and real hunger; while many VSGers don't experience true hunger post-surgery (because of lack of grehlin hormone), I have not been one of those lucky ones--I still experience true hunger at times...I have been very fortunate to have no post-op complications (such as dehydration, infection, or stricture), so I cannot address that "bad side"...one more thing that I am currently experiencing for the second time is a weight loss stall; I wouldn't say that is an overall "bad" thing since it is normal and does come to an end, but it can be very demoralizing and frustrating from an emotional--if not physical--perspective
good luck, and I applaud you for bravely facing the possible "bad" side

I havent personally had a lot of bad. The bad really depends on your up keep. I hear a lot of people who have skin issues. I have no skin issues. I started working out right away about a month out. Some people get mad at the scale because they havent lost a lot of weight. The weight will come off trust me.
I have also heard about ppl who cant deal with the different way of eating or dumping syndrome. Eating will be something that you will have to get used to all over again and learning when enough is enough so you dont dump.
I didnt have complications from surgery or post surgery. So in my opinion the ugly depends on your will and ability to adapt to a new life without food.....yes i said without because it wont be the same again....well at least for about a couple of years.
Good Luck on your journey...

I am currently 19 days post-op and for the last 4 days or so I have had constant nausea. When I was pregnant I had really bad morning sickness, this feels very similar. Has anyone else experienced this? will it pass?

Just for what it's worth... I take Cymbalta. It's great for depression coupled with anxiety. It's also being marketed for fibromyalgia. I've never been diagnosed with that but I have noticed I have more minor aches and pains on the days I miss a dose of my Cymbalta.

Well I'm gonna be the first man to ad their story to this topic. I'm a 53 year old man named Roy, hence the RoyBoy name. married to a 53 year old wonderful woman named Jean for 11 years now. We are the brady bunch as I had 3 girls and one boy, she had two boys for the perfect six! The family just melted together into one big happy family. All of our kids are grown with the littlest being 20, she's going back to college next semester, so she says but all the other kids have good jobs, nice homes and a wonderful family life. They have given us 12 grandchildren with two kids of our kids to go. Our number two son is getting married this winter in Riviera Maya Mexico for a warm needed vacation from cold Wisconsin and our number 3 son is doing the same next winter in Brazil! I love food and thats how I got to the place that brought me here! But love to hunt and fish with a passion and now I feel better every day so I fish even harder than I used too. LoL I've run and sold 2 companies and currently own a small trucking company with my wife working for a private college.
I'm a very thankful man for what God has given us and remember that every single day of my life!

Illgeturhairdid, what a wonderful idea! You're so right that the most of our lives have always been centered around weight, and probably always will be. But, there is so much more to us than that. Thank you for the reminder!
I'm 27, born and raised in Orange county, California. In 2004, I decided to come to India (I'm of Indian ethnicity) and pursue my medical degree. Now that I have finished, I'm working on getting back to the States and applying for Residency.
Over a year ago, an acquaintance of mine (who has now become a mentor) underwent a roux-en-y bypass, and I was amazed at he changes in her body and her confidence levels. She was very open about the surgery, and answered all my questions.
After passing out of med school, I asked my parents to support my decision for going through with the sleeve gastrectomy, and here I am, 4 months later! I've been very open about the surgery, in hopes to help someone just like my mentor did. Being open has helped me take charge of my own health, as well!
Being overweight all my life has been a blessing in some ways, because I have so much more confidence in myself and my personality because of it. I have never relied on my looks for anything! I've just had to be awesome! *winks*
I've been with my boyfriend for almost 5 years, and he has been a huge support. We both love good food (I still enjoy it), good music, and good company! We are also huge animal lovers and currently have a pair of male guinea pigs.
Good luck to everyone! I look forward to reading more about you all.