Cbluewinds

When I hit a certain point in my meal I get heavy hiccups. Never had it pre-sleeve but now I know to step away from the plate immediately;-)
Sent from my iPad using VST

You are doing great! I could not have lost 45 pounds in three months without this kind of help...could you? Let yourself be happy with your achievement on this journey...discouragement brings old habits. Blessings;-)

I say wait to shop. I got such a lift when I went through my closet and all the clothes were getting looser and looser! I had clothes that I had gotten to large for and then they became too large for me! I would roll the waist down and pull my pants up as far as i could.
When I finally went to "look" I tried on my first size 18 jeans and started happy dancing in the fitting room! Priceless! Down from a 24-28! I felt FANTABULOUS! Shop your closet first by pulling all the old hopeful outfits out first then go "looking"
Sent from my iPad using VST

Hi all, had my surgery (sleeve) on 6/2/14, feeling pretty good, have not had any problems, Dr Danny Vaughn is an awesome Dr.here in Macon Ga. Good luck to those who are having surgery soon.

Yes Lawd constipation is something out of this WORLD. Absolutely NO JOKE. O LORD, a have story out of this world that not everyone can appreciate, but I know my fellow sleevers can! Please drink your fluids and get moving around. The best advice EVER!!!

Hello Everyone...I had my surgery 8/17/2012. It was my new lease on life! My highest was 348 and since surgery my lowest has been 229...for me...amazing! Yes I want to lose more but...I too am sugar and carb addicted. I know there are some people who swear they will always follow the rules and do...I did. But I have also been struggling because of my need to have food and alcohol...socially and I love food. You can slip with the sleeve. Sometimes life gets in the way...excuses. But today...right now...I have to take charge and remember I eat to live not live to eat. I have to remember two years ago the pain I had physically and emotionally an how I was blessed to have a restart button.
As an addict I must encourage my fellow addicts to remember who you were and how we hoped and prayed for the ability to walk without pain, play with our kids and/or grand kids, shop in the regular sized stores, sit in a chair without fear of breaking it, not need an extender on an airplane, have friends and family stop telling you what your problem was...The list goes on and on for each of us. I am beginning again to touch my dreams...today!
This may not be anyone's truth but I just needed to vent and recommit publicly...Blessings!

Hello Everyone...I had my surgery 8/17/2012. It was my new lease on life! My highest was 348 and since surgery my lowest has been 229...for me...amazing! Yes I want to lose more but...I too am sugar and carb addicted. I know there are some people who swear they will always follow the rules and do...I did. But I have also been struggling because of my need to have food and alcohol...socially and I love food. You can slip with the sleeve. Sometimes life gets in the way...excuses. But today...right now...I have to take charge and remember I eat to live not live to eat. I have to remember two years ago the pain I had physically and emotionally an how I was blessed to have a restart button.
As an addict I must encourage my fellow addicts to remember who you were and how we hoped and prayed for the ability to walk without pain, play with our kids and/or grand kids, shop in the regular sized stores, sit in a chair without fear of breaking it, not need an extender on an airplane, have friends and family stop telling you what your problem was...The list goes on and on for each of us. I am beginning again to touch my dreams...today!
This may not be anyone's truth but I just needed to vent and recommit publicly...Blessings!

I have no regrets about surgery. I dealt with my mental food demons the months before surgery. What I noticed is that I had made food my friend, my therapist and used it to down my emotions in. I have started to feel more like myself, my "real" self, the person who used to put herself and her needs before all else without feeling guilty about it. I had lost that for a while. Taking on everyone else's bull is how I ended up here.

I haven't been on here in way too long. I guess a lot of it has to do with shame and guilt with not changing my eating habits over the last year & 8months and drinking WAY too much alcohol after my surgery. My food demons are still very present unfortunately.
Surgery weight was 335 & current weight is 220. surgery date was september 27th 2012.
I logged in here to ask two questions:
1. In the last 4 days I have lost 9 pounds. the last two days I have had terrible "runs". I cant remember if rapid weight loss caused this? Anyone know?
2. My surgeon strongly discouraged me against the sleeve because all the patient's he had performed the sleeve on, didn't reach their goals. He said I will lose around One Hundred pounds and there it usually ends. He firmly recommended I get the RNY/Gastric Bypass. I started out thinking I wouldn't be one of his statistics but that wasn't the case...
On an interesting side note my surgeon continued to do the vertical sleeve for a little over 6 months after I had surgery but then discontinued it and now only performs duodenal switch and RNY.
Recently I started on phentermine to get back on track and start over with this never ending food addiction. In addition I made an appointment with a therapist and scheduled an appointment with a hypnotherapist also. Cant hurt right? Back to my point though. Have the majority of you only lost 80 to 120 pounds and still have OVER 30 pounds till you reach the ideal weight on the weight chart?

DeniseNCC1701,
YOU ARE SO CORRECT!!!!!!!!!!!!!
For me, the mental part of this is so much more difficult than the physical part. I actually went through a mourning period because I couldn't deal with life the way I had for decades--by using food as my drug. I now have to FEEL my feelings. That can be an extremely difficult thing to do for someone like myself who DID NOT have to do that before.
Now I have to live a life UN-numbed by food. I have to deal with unpleasant feelings, not stuff them down with food. For me, that is where the true work is at--in my still FAT brain.
Be well everybody,
Kathleen

I went into this surgery with the vision of adhering to my team's instructions perfectly, with no plan on sabotaging the process. But there I was, about 4 weeks out or so, dealing with fluctuating hormones and a weight loss stall, eating a piece of fried chicken and a Cadbury creme egg. I missed my friend (food). I missed being able to stuff down emotions with my friend. Now I had to actually (shudder) deal with these feelings. I still do. I will do so for the rest of my life.
I think I speak for many of us that the hardest part of the journey is not the approval process, the pre-op preparations or the post-op pain and weakness. It is the hard work and dedication it takes to stay in a state of equilibrium.
Having said that, grazing and certain foods (Peanut Butter for me) allow us to out-think the sleeve when we're feeling less than optimal. Like LipstickLady said, I too could probably eat 4,000+ calories a day if I take a little bit all day long. It's a slippery slope we are climbing, indeed.
Be well…

Hiii everyone, i just wanted to take the time to do an update i just realized that i am 6 months post op today i was sleeved on September 10th 2013 and what can i say other than i am so thankful at the opportunity life has given me its like being reborn again. Back in July 2013 my health took a toll for the worst, that is when my doctor recommended i get Bariatric Surgery because loosing weight would be the only way 2 control my PCOS symptoms i finally decided to do something about it and went ahead and started my WL journey i was then 250 lbs my highest weight ever being 5'1 it wasn't good at all for me along with my PCOS i started having back problems, knee problems, achillis tendons problems, ankles were always swollen, my BP had started to get out of control, along with a few other things. Today at 6 months i couldn't be happier with the way i feel, today i no longer use any medications, i am still in shock when i see myself in the mirror in my head i still think of myself sometimes as being heavy even though i know i am not and peoples reaction when they see me is priceless =) words will never describe how Amazing this journey has been and how i feel i thank God first and for most and my awesome doctor Scott Shikora and Team for giving me this second chance in life my highest weight was 250, today at 6 months post op i am 147 lbs and still counting even my doctor was amazed when i saw him last month he said and i quote (remember we spoke that people who are sleeved loose about 50-60% of their excess weight well you have lost already 75% of your excess weight) he was sooo happy my goal is 135 i am very close i went from size 22 or 2x 3x to my now size 6 and that size is now fitting loose so am i Happy? Heck yeaaah i am Extreeeeemely Happyyyyy! 88 lbs since September 10th (day of surgery i was 235lbs) total weight loss 103 lbs from when i was 250 lbs till now i'll take it! =)))

[ATTACH]42358[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH]42359[/ATTACH]

You look great. It's funny we have the same sw and cw 230 down to 125. Keep up the great work!

I couldn't be more happier with my decision. SW 230 June 6, 2012 CW 125 on December 24, 2013
First picture was taking a week before surgery and second picture was on Christmas Eve with my son and daughter!

Not a huge difference yet, but its a start ! I had vsg on 12/10/13. And I'm down 27.6 lbs so far... Have a long ways to go ( about 200 lbs) but I'm on my way! Loving all the pics and success stories on here! Inspirational!!

Not AFTER.... But in progress
1st collage is before shots-
2nd is after/in progress
And in 2nd is the drivers license

HW 348
SW 332 - Aug 17, 012
CW 245
Goal170
Still have a ways to go...but I feel good about making the decision to make a life change at 50+!!!

I am being sleeved nov 11 and nervous anxious excited too. 55 here and I just am so ready to lose and get excited about going..doing...and just getting active again! Wish me luck, I need it!

For me, it really wasn't painful at all. I was expecting terrible pain but really, it was more painful having kids than this....this was nothing to me. They kept me comfy at the hospital & pain killers at home. I often wonder if I really needed the pain meds, but I just kept taking them at the appropriate time, even if I had no pain, but I didn't want to feel pain...so not sure if I would have if I had not taken the meds. The worst part for me was feeling nausea, & that was caused from the pain meds. Once I was given a prescription for anti nausea meds which I had to take prior to the pain meds, all was well in my world!
Nothing hurt to eat or drink either. So I did accuse my doc of not actually performing that surgery on me! But just go slow with everything & pray. All will be well. Good luck to you!

I'm 43 and was told I looked a lot younger. They may have been pulling my leg when they said 19 and 23.

Okay here's a pic. no makeup and hair looks like crap after walking for hours so I chopped my head off
Be gentle! I haven't worn a dress in a while.
Sent from my iPhone using VST

TY! I've already a NSV or two of my own. Back in jeans from 4 years ago...goal is a size 10/12...whatever weight and time gets me there. But in another 17 pounds, I'll weigh less than I did when I discharged from the Navy in 1996!

Gamer girl did you say dance with happiness???
Let's celebrate!!
(¤¿¤)
<)__)/
/ \
( ¤¿¤)
\(__(>
/ \
(¤¿¤)
<)__)/
/ \

Yay for before and afters! I have some new ones
[ATTACH]20465[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH]20466[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH]20467[/ATTACH]

Hi all- I ham still going okay- the weight loss has reduced to about 0.5kg (about 1 pound) per week. I am exercising 5-6 times per week- running or doing ballet- who would have thought!!! I have about 30 pounds to go still though and I have trouble with excess skin on my upper arms. I have lost about 200 pounds though since September 2013 - so I am lucky that my tummy is okay and it's just my arms.
Here's a comparison shot cheers Liss