moonchild1968

Sleeved April 18. Down 71 lbs. If I exercised more, I'd be closer to goal. I am inspired by those of you, who've already adopted an exercise routine. I'm still learning to use all of my tools. Still i'm happier than I have been in YEARS!

Thanks for sharing your story. It is so encouraging to me at what appears to be a very slow weight loss stage in my journey. I know that I, too, will get to goal with perserverance and patience. When people like you reach back to share, it means the world. Hope you feel as great as you look. Keep up the good work. Can't wait to show off share my after pics.

I am able to enjoy food, again. I was just thinking this weekend about how nice it is to be able to eat responsibly. Just being able to eat and enjoy food without overindulging is such a great gift of this surgery. I used to eat until I was tired. Not just satisfied, not full, but tired. The sleeve is my off switch - a reminder to put down the fork. I am so thankful for it.

We all just go with our gut feeling and do what feels right for us. My sleeve mentor took your approach and told/tells everyone, while I have told only family and the absolute closest people. Of course, once you've told one person, you've really told 10 others. lol Your approach is what works for you, so it's definitely not "too open". I think the billboard thing is cool. Congrats.

I am!

Well, here I am at 5 months out. The first picture was taken at a ladies mountain retreat in October 2012 (6 months before my band-to-sleeve revision.) Pic 2 was taken in early May 2013, about 2 weeks after surgery and pic 3 was taken yesterday. It's happening! I'm feeling good and enjoying my sleeve. I think it works like the band was supposed to work. I have restriction now and I haven't had any food get stuck since surgery, so I'm no longer looking for the nearest restroom in case I have to make a run for it. I tolerate every food that I've tried, except caffeine. I get caffeine jitters after only a few sips now and it just doesn't taste the same, so I don't bother. I'm proud of how far I've come. It feels so good to sit and bend comfortably. I am excited about losing the rest. There are so many more nsv's to uncover as a I continue on this road to recovery. I'm still working on the emotional eating, reducing my fat intake, and getting in enough Protein and exercise. It's still a lot of work, but it all feels do-able now. I am a work in progress.

I'll learning how to incorporate exercise into my regular routine. I'm setting aside specific times to take care of myself and I have a workout buddy, too. I walk during work breaks I've found that there are just as many workout opportunites as there are excuses to avoid exercise. My exercise routine is most consistent when I am least tolerant of excuses.

Congratulations! Wishing you a safe surgery and speedy recovery. You're going to do great and you're going to love your sleeve.

Congratulations! You look fab-u-lous! Oh, and you're most recent pic is nice, too!

"What if it doesn't work?" kept me on the fence for a long time. Then I asked, "What if it does work?" and leaped.

My pain was bad, but manageable after a few days and I felt loopy-unsteady-for 2 weeks (back to work in 3) and I had the lapband removal/sleeve all-in-one and I might be a slow loser (I think) , but I'm finally losing again and I feel more comfortable in my skin than I have in years and when I look in the mirror I'm not saddened by my own image anymore and food doesn't control me anymore and so yes, if I had the chance to do it again, I would. Only sooner. Much sooner.

Hi, there. You're in the right place.

I wasn't going to tell anyone at work, but something told me to share with one lady in particular. I've known her for years, but we never talked much. Just hi and bye. At the time, I didn't know why I was supposed to share with her, but I just followed my gut(divine intervention) and shared my plans. Well, turns out she had been contemplating wls but just never made a move on it. My sharing encouraged her to go on and have gastric bypass a month after me. We're both doing great with our respective choices and we have become our own support team, encouraging each other and sharing our ups and downs. I haven't told anybody else at work. I am a sensitive person and any negative comment from a co-worker would end up receiving more attention than it deserves. I'm cool with my decision to keep quiet. When people ask what 'm doing to lose weight, I say that I've reduced my portions and am trying to eat better. It's not the whole truth, but screw 'em.

Funny, I thought the same thing when I couldn't eat squat. Now that I can eat considerably more (about 8 oz), I am thankful for those early meals that were very, very small. It gives our stomach rest and recovery and jump starts our weight loss journey. You'll eat more in time, but nothing (thank goodness) like before.

OMG! It is so very normal to miss food. I mean, let's face it. All of a sudden we immediately stop doing something that we've been doing our whole lives. And we've been REALLY doing it! lol During my liquid and pureed phases I realized more than ever how much we engage all of our senses with food and eating. So, even though I couldn't taste food (I didn't dare to even lick my fingers for fear of opening the flood gate), I was tortured at times by the sight of food, the smell of food cookig, and the touch/handling of food during meal preparation. It made me miss it more. While it drove my family crazy, I lived vicariously through them during that period. I asked often, "How does it taste?" Is it good? Drove them batty. lol After liquids, I waited with baited breath for my first taste of "real" food. Never wanted a soft scrambled egg so much in my life. It was a glorious day.

I went to a wls support group meeting last night and got bummed out because a lady who was sleeved 2 weeks before me was already down 68 lbs. Reading your post helped me get my head back in the right place. The key to losing and keeping it off is learning and adopting proven habits and strategies that will help me lose today and maintain forever.

You put it into words for me and very eloquently, I might add. Thank you.

Thanks.

I met a few (2 or 3) people that loss the excess weight with the band. I met more bandsters who didn't lose the weight and/or regained. I regained. I had the lap band done in 2007 and lost 60 lbs.in spurts over the next 4 years. I spent the last 2 years gaining it back plus more. I've had the sleeve for 3 months and I've lost 54 lbs. thus far. I struggled to lose the weight with my band. I struggled to eat properly with it, too. So far, no struggles with the sleeve. My band was always either too tight or too loose. I wanted the band to help me feel fuller longer and to help me recognize when I was full. I wanted it to help me control my appetite without disrupting my every day life. I wanted to eat less and lose weight. I never had the right combination for success with the band. The sleeve gives me so much that the band did not. I wouldn't recommend the band to anyone nor would I condemn anyone for their WLS choice. It's such a personal decision. Somebody told me that the sleeve works the way I had hoped the band would work. Now a post-op, I know that statement is true. I hope this helps. Good luck to you tomorrow. You'll do great!

I wish I had it done sooner. I haven't felt this good in a long time. I don't miss large quantities of food nearly as much as I thought I would and I certainly don't miss the extra weight. It just feels GOOD! You'll see. Congrats on beginning your journey. Blessings.

Good for you!! My arms have always been very large (HUGE actually) and with over 25 years of yo-yo dieting, my arms are worse for the wear. So far, so good since surgery, but I'm trying to avoid more sagging skin, so I'm tightening up a little with exericise and light hand weights. I'm not looking for perfection, just trying to avoid plastic surgery and gain some definition while losing some jiggle. Continued success to you.

Hoping this morning was better for you than last night. Keep your chin up. You're there doing something to benefit yourself and your family.

About the clothes....try consignment shops or thrift stores, that is, if second-hand shopping suits you. I've found them to be helpful during this transiiton and rapid weight loss. Sometimes just a few "new" pieces can perk up a wardrobe and ones outlook on the day. As for the stalls? Well, they end.

I had the all in one, too. I never had a good fill and always struggled with the band. I unfilled a few months prior to revising. My surgery went great.

I hear ya! Sadly, I have first hand experience with your concerns. I had the lapband and it didnt work. After regaining 'ALL and then some' of my lapband weight loss, I heard a few comments about it and got many looks, but I was my own biggest critic. While burying my head in the sand (pretending to ignore my expanding waistline), I couldn't see that I had choices. I believed that I had failed and I let that fear paralyze me for a long time. In hindsight, my fear was the biggest hinderance to my success. I'm so thankful that I found the courage to try again.