TheCurvyJones

I have always been upfront about my surgery. I see no reason to hide it and I hold pretty strong to my eating patterns and needs, so there's a reason for me refusing to go to a spot where the point is to eat a lot of food. I've never received any negative reactions to it. Most men seem surprised and amazed and have a lot of questions that I don't mind asking.

It also helps to encourage date ideas that don't center around food. Mini golf or bowling or an art museum. Give me a chance to work up an appetite and I can eat a little more.

I've been rather disappointed, really, about dating post surgery. I thought things would be a lot different for me once I was thinner and more attractive. Turns out the men in my city aren't interested in women like me, no matter what size she wears.

My surgery is scheduled on January 17 in Tijuana and I wake up this morning with a sinus cold I hope I get better in time!!

You'll be okay. Pamper pamper pamper and get rid of that cold!

WHen you're right out of making the most enormous change of your life and it doesn't go like you thought it would, it's scary and nerve wracking. Holy Hell, have some patience isn't the most supportive response I've ever seen.

Here's what I know: The sleeve works, first of all. You may not lose fast and you may not lose like you want to lose, but the sleeve works. Patience is absolutely key.

Tell us about where you started-- Highest weight, start weight, current weight. How about inches? I lost TONS of inches but very little scale weight. I STILL lose slowly on the scale but the inches are where it's at. Are your clothes loose/baggy? Seeing any changes in your body that don't translate to scale numbers? Remember your NSV's - non scale victories- What doesn't hurt that used to hurt? what can you do that you couldn't?

What's your post op plan been like?

I know this is VERY hard but everyone else is EVERYONE ELSE. Not YOU. So don't worry about them....you have to focus on YOUR plan and YOUR body. You can't go back, so keep moving forward. Have a talk with your nutritionist about your food needs... at a month out I was jUST starting to eat solids, and I had lost maybe 12 lbs.

Happy new year all! Sheldon you have inspired me to come up with a name for mine, thank you! I was sleeved on 12/9 and love this forum, it had been so helpful!

Awesome...I feel like I can deal with and cope better with this change by accepting that my sleeve will be temperamental and that I have to completely re-learn a part of my body that i knew so well....reminds me of being pregnant with twins and not knowing what had taken over me...lol

Let me know when you name yours too, Felipe needs as many friends as she can find..

Shelby

Thats the ticket! I think naming the sleeve helps us remember that it is 'different', a whole new, very temperamental part of the body. Sometimes you might not even understand what's going on, but I just chalk it up to Jelly being a DIVA. One of my friends named her sleeve Wicked. Wicked don't let her do ANYTHING bad. LOL. He just won't tolerate it!

I loved that you named your sleeve! Jelly (my sleeve) and I are having a good start to the new year!

A couple of before and in progress pics. I started at 273, was 250 days of surgery, now 181.

Hi Krystal! I think you want the December 2013 thread. We were all sleeved 12/2012. Congrats on your loss so far! Hang on for the ride.

A year. It has been a year. An awesome year. 12/21/12 sleeved along side my sleeve buddy thecurvyjones. I am rocking this sleeve and loving the decision to use Dr Alvarez. I raise my Protein Shake to toast all the 2012 December sleevers. Here's to you!

Congrats on a great year! <3

My surgiversary was Dec 21. This time last year I was in the 240's. Now on the cusp of the 170's. Crazy! Loving post op life, loving my sleeve.

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My goal is about 170 as well -- surgery date weight around 237 and began journey at about 260 so I lost a bit on my own

Still in pain and have regrets due to hernia repair and difficulty sipping fluids and staying hydrated and strong

I'm looking at the brighter side that surgery went well and I'm hopeful the weight will fall off cause I'm already down 20 since surgery on dec12

My goal is somewhere around 150 but 273 will be 100 lbs down so that's what I'm looking for now.

My surgiversary was Dec 21. This time last year I was in the 240's. Now on the cusp of the 170's. Crazy! Loving post op life, loving my sleeve.

I don't think that's a lie. You wear 14 in reg sizes and 12P in stretch. It'd be a lie if you sewed a size 6 tags in jeans that you know good and well are 12's! I wear curvy/woman/stretch sizes because that's what fits. I have big hips a bit behind and have thick thighs. That's the size and cut, in that brand, that fits. Other cuts and other brands will measure differently. You'll hear a lot of people at goal say 'I can wear anything from an 8 to a 12....' because sizing varies greatly by brand.

If those jeans say 12P stretch, then honey that is what you wear.

I have not given away any clothes. They're bagged but still sitting in my bedroom. I have an odd attachment to them like I am worried that I will need them again!

I've talked about this kind of thing with my surgeon. He said that certain changes (atmospheric, weather, environment) can certainly affect the sleeve, as can things like stress or emotion. Some days we might feel more restriction than others. THis is normal and just ride with it, listen to your body and your sleeve, stop when you are satisfied, as per normal. You might even consider doing a liquid day if your sleeve seems particularly tight. This happens to me quite often... right before my cycle I could eat any and everything... right after, or if I am ill, or at the change of seasons, I can barely eat anything and I stay full for a long time.

All totally normal sleeve behavior but you might need to converse with your doctor just for assurance.

Coming up on our surgiversaries! \o/ Since 12.21.2012 I have lost 62 lbs (85 overall) and I'm half the woman I used to be.

Yeah too much sugar for me. My body would go nuts. You would almost do better with plain cottage cheese and fresh strawberries. Those berries are probably cooked in sugar to make them sweet.

Hey hey sisters! How's everyone?

Trying to! Can't wait to see the good Dr. LOVE him.

Yes. and while standing I swear I feel my hipbones. Crazy

Fab. I love Dr A, he's always available online, does a lot for his patients. Have had zero complications or issues. LOVE my sleeve.

Rollin' along. I was sleeved 12/21/2012. Last MOnday I was 189.6. Crept up to 191 today, hoping to see 189 again soon.

VSG was my first surgery. there wasn't anything anyone could tell me that would make me NOT worry about this. About wakin up during the procedure. About NOT waking up from the procedure. About a leak. About busting my sleeve open.... I had all the same thoughts and fears and if you didn't have them you wouldn't be normal. Everything went great, my surgery lasted all of 37 minutes. You'll do fine!

I just started noticing last couple days that I can eat a little more than usual. Its not allot but its more than the usual. has anyone else noticed this?

Yes your capacity will increase the longer you are out. That's why it's important to follow the rules of how much you should eat. Always Protein first until you hit your Protein goal for the day. Fruits and veggies when you can get them in, as you can get them in. I find I need to eat more often during the day... not necessarily more. I fill up quickly, but two hours later I am empty and hungry again.

All day today my sleeve feels extra small I could only get half of my normal servings in all day today and I dont get why.. I had a yogurt today and normally I can eat the entire serving but today half way through I felt so much restriction. Has this ever happen to anyone else.. I feel like I'm 3 weeks post op today Uggg..

Yes this happens to me a lot. Sometimes I am a bottomless pit. Other times my sleeve is a DIVA.

Just popping in!

I had my surgery 12/21

Start weight 273

Day of Surgery 250

Current weight 196-198

Sizes- 8/10 dress, 12-14 pant, 16 jeans, large to medium shirts

Very happy with where I am. Wish I could have lost quicker and I didn't have issues like PCOS to deal with. I only lose once a month now, about 5lbs a month. Still trying to hit my personal goal of 100lbs down, so 173 by the end of the year. Dr. Alvarez would like to see me at 145 but we'll see how I feel once I get near there.

I last posted a month ago on May 15th. One month later I've dropped from 211 to 205- 6 lbs. The month before that I lost 2 lbs. What keeps me from jumping off a roof? Photos.

The photo below is my pre op photo and a pic I took this morning. I haven't dropped a ton of weight lately but dem inches baby!