HoosierGirl

Wow - I am excited for those of you who have not yet been sleeved! It will change your life in ways you can't imagine today. I'm excited to watch your success and cheer you on! The pre-op phase was THE WORST part of it all for me. (Super freaked out and worried about EVERYTHING...will I get my passport in time? What if I miss a connection? What if I get a leak? What if I die in the OR? What if I cannot get enough protein? What if...what if...what if..) Then the random crazy dreams (naked OCC staff performing my surgery, that they did abdominal incisions, but didn't do the sleeve, blah blah blah). It was the longest 2 months ever from the time I booked my date until I actually had the surgery! So, hit me up if you are feeling crazy because I GET IT! Lol...

BACK2BARB78 and EBONISEKIM - you ladies are smokin' hot! Thanks for the pics!

Yup...count me in! Surgery weight 237.6 Current weight 155.1 Thanksgiving goal 145.9

Thank you for all the photos and details. I am not sure if "transformation" is a strong enough word to capture your breathtaking changes! Simply stunning! Hope your recovery continues to go well. You have me motivated to get my plastics scheduled!

WOO HOO!!!!! Congratulations!!!!

You are welcome to read my blog....your story is basically the same as mine. Denied by insurance, roughly the same BMI, etc. I self paid in Mexico. The price was all inclusive - no extra bills after surgery. And I too looked at Dr. Alverez too - he is a great surgeon. There are several very good surgeons in Mexico. Do your research and be 100% sold on your choice of surgeon. Good luck! www.hoosierfatty.wordpress.com

Yes!!!! You are very right!

Sleeved by Dr. Ortiz 2/4/13 (almost 9 months post-surgery) HIT NUT'S WEIGHT GOAL THIS MORNING!!!! 155 WOOOO HOOO!!! Only 10 lbs to my personal goal of 145. Almost feels surreal! Maybe I should go buy a lottery ticket today? Lol

Yup...I'm in! Big goals to hit by Thanksgiving...need all the tools I can muster to get there. GOALS: 1. Complete Fun Run November 16 (doing a 1 mile run with my kiddos). 2. Exercise for 30 hours in November (Jillian Michaels, running, Zumba) at least 1 hour per day.

Malaki - good luck with your surgery! If you need anything, let me know. Coming up on my 9 month sleeve anniversary! It's been a great ride. Hope you have all the success this surgery has to offer! Let us know how your surgery goes.

HealthBound - let us know when you start your pre-op diet and we will start cheering you on. Very excited for you!

YES! Love my early AM basement workouts. Totally quiet in the house, only one shower per day, and it's done and out of the way for the day. No where to drive. No excuses. I have been doing Jillian Michaels Body Revolution DVD's since May. It's a 12 week program that requires a yoga mat, hand weights and a resistance band. Workouts are 30-35 minutes long and have modifiers for beginners to advanced exercisers. She is pretty encouraging and I like how much instruction you get on proper form. Find what works for you at home and get it done! Good for you for finding what works for you.

Ringo - this is my best pep talk... I'm so sorry to hear about your nephew, your ex, your sister. You have a LOT going on right now. Is the timing "perfect" to get your sleeve? Probably not. (I'm not sure what a "perfect" time is really.) So, my question to you...what do you GAIN by rescheduling? There is always going to be something going on. If you are already missing work, then big deal, what is a little bit more? You said your BMI is "only" 33. And you are lucky. But that is your BMI today. Will your BMI be 34 next year? Or 35 the year after? You are a young woman with your whole life in front of you. Take charge. Make it your BEST life. It's clear you are a woman who can get things done and you are a rock for many...smart enough to let an ex go who cannot give you what you need. Your sister is coming to you, the rock for support. I know you will find care for your kids the days that you are in Tijuana recovering from surgery, because you are clearly a woman who makes things happen. Now. Put on your big girl panties. Decide you are going to KICK ASS on your pre-op diet. No excuses. Once you get your mind right, become determined, ferocious, powerful and focused you can achieve ANYTHING you set your mind to. This is all in your head. It's a mental game to "win" on your pre-op diet. Make a meal by meal choice (or hour by hour choice) to stick with your pre-op program and kick the crap out of your pre-op diet. Go into surgery feeling like a success! All the little choices add up to BIG success. Set yourself up for success by shrinking your liver for a safe surgery. You are in the home stretch before your sleeve. YOU CAN DO THIS! I'm cheering for you here in HoosierLand! Keep us updated on your progress...we are here and want to watch you succeed! Go my sister and MAKE IT HAPPEN!

SLAMMIN introduction! Can we be friends!!? I get EXACTLY where you are coming from. This time last year, YOU WERE ME!!!! Congrats on your surgery date! Really looking forward to your transformation. Hugs and good luck. Be sure to give us updates.

RUN!!! Get away from there!!! LOL....

YES! I did the same thing and have been checking off those items! http://hoosierfatty.wordpress.com/goals/ So far, the only things I haven't been able to do are the Walking Tour of Italy (our kids are young) or get a photo taken with Hugh Jackman. The person, not a cardboard cutout! LOL! Will have to get creative to make that happen!!!

Remember when we were kids and would get a "do-over"? Well, this is your DO OVER! This is one of the only ways I know an adult can make up for all the things we missed out on - been humiliated by - had to suffer as a result of our weight. Don't be disappointed in yourself. Celebrate the end of this chapter of your life and decide you are going to KICK ASS in the next chapter of your life! All the things you mention are going to make you work your sleeve like crazy to hit your goal. Then you can use these memories as the reason to STAY at goal. I am not disappointed in you AT ALL...I am very impressed that you are taking charge of your weight! Hugs my friend.

Wow - this is really great. And yes, the weight at my initial information session was close to my weight at the start of my pre-op diet. Makes sense that when you are at your all time high weight you would get serious about having surgery & go to an information session. Kudos to you all for taking charge of your weight.

I'm pretty passionate about this subject...apologies if this sounds too strong. BUT....I had much the same reaction from my parents. Wild and unplaced concern for such a "radical" decision...have I really thought it through...you are strong willed, just get ahold of your weight problem...blah blah blah. Are your daughters skinny? I know my parents aren't! Weight is a struggle for them too. So, I was really surprised they weren't supportive about me being pro-active to regain my health. I don't want to have a stroke like my Dad or need a pacemaker like my Mom. I wanted to yell at them, "Do you SEE yourselves?" I was flabbergasted that with all their weight related health issues they would have the guts to tell me I was making the WRONG decision! You know, if I could have lost the weight on my own and keep it off, I probably would have done it sometime over the past 20 years. Do I think surgery is a drastic and final step? Yes...AND THAT IS THE POINT! It is one thing to have concern for someone - especially if you aren't familiar with their surgery. But it's something very different to dissuade someone from a surgery that will prolong their life. Would you try to talk a breast cancer patient out of a mastectomy? No. Then why try to talk an obese person out of a surgical solution to their weight problem? Sheesh. Stick to your guns and blaze your own trail. If your daughters are like my parents, they will want to have the surgery too because they watched YOU be successful. Kudos to you for coming to get support here. Keep doing what you are doing. This surgery will change your life in ways you can't even imagine now. HUGS!

Question - how did you select the weight to use when tracking your VSG weight loss? It occurred to me last night that my belly looks so deflated because I have lost 120lbs from my highest pregnancy weight. And although I haven't "lost" 120 lbs with my sleeve, the past pounds would still impact my body. So, I thought I would ask my sleeve sisters and brothers what weight you used as your "starting weight"? 1. Did you "start" with your weight at the beginning of your sleeve investigation? 2. Maybe you used your surgery day weight? Perhaps the beginning pre-op diet weight? 3. Did you use your highest EVER weight? Maybe your highest PREGNANCY weight (ladies)? For me - all these numbers are different! Depending on the starting number, it really affects my total loss. Personally, I used the beginning PRE-OP diet weight to set my "starting weight". What about you?

I was sleeved by Dr. Ortiz in February 2013 and was very pleased. You are welcome to check out my blog for more information on how I selected Dr. Ortiz, my travel and surgery experience. Keep doing your research and figure out the right surgeon for you. You need to be 100% sold on your choice - it will make the whole decision much easier. Good luck! www.hoosierfatty.wordpress.com

I have been looking into doctors in Mexico for a tummy tuck and breast augmentation. Here is my short list of doctors: http://www.medicaltourism.com.mx/mtad.html Dr. Sauceda in Monterrey http://www.mybestbodyever.com/english/index.html Dr. Calderon in Tijuana http://plasticatijuana.com/ Dr. Cervantes in Tijuana Sent them pictures and a list of questions. Received a price quote back and answers to my questions. Prices were all roughly the same. Hoping to make a decision and book for early March 2014. I'm within 12 lbs of my personal goal, 2 lbs of my surgeon's goal. They all indicated that as long as you didn't have a lot of weight to lose, that there wasn't any real reason to wait for plastics. Good luck all!

AAWWWW! Thanks! I'm glad that all went well and am excited to follow your success!

You look fantastic!!! So happy for all your accomplishments this weekend...and THANK YOU for sharing! I'm in the home stretch to hit my goal, and this is exactly what I needed to read this morning! Hugs!

So excited for you! Be sure to let us know how it goes....hugs!