MichiganChic

@@JamieLogical thanks for the response. I know what you mean. Mine doesn't really hurt, but it feels like I'm sitting against a lump. Mine is getting some better. I also have swelling in my left foot since I had complications with my thigh lift. I didn't have any swelling at first, but I had a terrible seroma, and the third surgery on that area caused definite lymphatic disruption. I'm encouraged that yours cleared up after 9 months. My foot seems to be slightly better, and it's been three months. Honestly, most people wouldn't notice and it doesn't hurt, but I hate it!

I think that's good for you, and you know what's best for you I didn't mean to imply that you should figure out how to weigh yourself daily. I meant to back up your statements, because I agree, it can do more harm than good if you can't get past the daily number. If it upset me every time I got on the scale and was unhappy with the number, I wouldn't do it either. There is no one right way to get the job done, for sure!

I also have swelling in my lower back. It's been 10 months, and I'm not sure if its swelling or fat. I think it might be a little of both....but I don't think I had that before surgery. My surgeon said it could just be that the fat just got pulled down. How long did the swelling last?

I track everything I put in my mouth. I don't weigh and measure everything any more, but I do spot check to make sure I'm not slipping on my eyeballing portion sizes. I try to choose things as accurately as possible, but I know it's not 100%. I think the key is consistency. I read an article recently that said most people underestimate their calories by 30% or more, but that's not as important as the fact that they actually track. The tracking increases awareness. Also, I believe I can maintain on 1400 calories/day based on what I currently track. I might actually be getting more like 1800 if I'm underestimating, but the point is I'm watching and doing it consistently, so I'm able to maintain.

Yep. I have a little fat left in my hips I want to have sucked out and injected in my butt!

Hi! I'm just north of Toledo. I don't know any female surgeons, but I like my surgeon, Patrick White, at Promedica. They have a monthly support group in the evening, and one during the day. He also has a female PA. His nurse coordinator and dietician are also very good. Welcome to the 'Hood!

I think the key to being able to weigh daily is understanding that we use it for informational purposes only, and that it's the weekly/monthly weights that are telling the true story. The daily weight for me is just one of the many habits I've developed to stay focused.

Yep, I weigh daily for the same reasons here so many expressed. Keeps me on track and focused, and keeps me from letting it get too far away from me. I didn't mention my ridiculous spreadsheets, but seeing others also have more than one made me smile - I have one for daily, one for weekly, and one for monthly. I graph them all. I also average my daily weight for each month, and that is now what I really watch over time. I also graph that I love that my weight has been steady within a pound or two for well over a year.

There's always controversy about whether to weigh daily or not, and it always surprised me how passionate people are about this topic. I'm from the weigh daily camp. It has worked for me, and I actually do have a graph of my weight since my surgery. Lately I've been tracking my total calories on the same spreadsheet, and it has really helped me see how much I eat to maintain my weight. I always used myfitnesspal, but adding it to the same spread sheet and averaging it over the week and month gave me a much clearer picture. This article suggest there is evidence to support daily weighing.How often do you weigh? https://www.yahoo.com/health/how-often-you-should-weigh-yourself-if-youre-121841681642.html

I think you just hit the nail on the head - that's really one of our major measures of success. It took me a while to realize and/or decide that being happy with ourselves is a key factor. I used to be really hung up on getting to a goal I picked based on BMI. In a perfect world, I would be there. But I'm living in my unique body and place, and it's all far from perfect. Once I came to terms with good enough is actually really great, I was able to be happy with my accomplishment and move on with my life.

@@frumpy69 You can do this. It's hard, but you know what to do. I'm sorry you gained, that's so discouraging! :/ @@globetrotter Good to see you back on the boards, though I'm sorry you are having a hard time. I whole-heartedly agree with your post. I don't think it's true for everyone, but it is certainly true for me. I have to be hypervigilant or I will gain. I have found that I can maintain my weight at 165 on an average of 1400 calories a day. I usually eat more on weekends, and dial it way back through the week, like about 1100. It's a battle all day, every day.

I think it might have to do with the laser machine. I'm not an expert, but the place I went uses a laser that has Water running through it to cool the skin. They call it Candella laser or something, and the technician said they aren't all the same. I bought a Groupon for mine, and the place had over 200 reviews with a 99% thumbs up, so maybe this one hurts less than some of the others. Not sure what the law is where you live, but usually it requires a physician either be present or affiliated. I would ask to speak to the physician, if there is one.

My surgeon allows NSAIDS, but not at 4 weeks. I was cleared at 6 weeks, which is when tissues are healed. I've taken ibuprofen every day since.

Be careful what you wish for - someday you'll be able to eat way more than you think right now. I find myself wishing for that extreme restriction I had in the beginning. Now I can eat like a normal, thin person. It would be a lot easier to maintain if that restriction were still as strong as in the beginning when a few bites was my max. I actually am the person who eats mostly healthy and lets loose a little at a cookout. The problem is that I can do a lot of damage at that cookout! Either way, I'm still not regretting...

I was born chubby and was overweight most of my life, other than a few times as a teen ager or young adult, when I fad dieted, medical weight loss dieted, starvation dieted myself to a lower weight. The majority of my life has been spent as a morbidly obese woman, and I do have a family history of morbid obesity. I have several cousins who had WLS - successfully. I lost about 160 pounds from my highest weight, and 140 with the sleeve. To be honest, before I had the sleeve, even after I decided to do it, I was skeptical about my ability to succeed. I am a person who has accomplished a lot and can generally do anything I put my mind to, except for losing and maintaining weight loss. I figured there was something physically wrong with me because I knew what to do and how to do it, and actually did it the right things but was still fat. I now realize that was because I was too hungry to be able to get my calories low enough, for long enough to lose the needed weight. Having the sleeve truly changed my life and gave me power over my obesity. My advice is to use the honeymoon period - I didn't used to believe in that, but I do now. Learn new habits early on, and change your approach to eating, and be meticulous and as careful as you can. You'll thank yourself for it later. Make it all about you. You deserve to be thin, happy, successful at this, and the only way that happens is to make yourself a priority. Also, be patient. The weight isn't going to fly off, most likely. It's hard work, and it takes full effort all day, every day, forever. It took me 14 months to lose over 140 pounds. About 30 came off the first month, but after that, there were some months that I only lost 4 or 6 pounds. These are all important things to know, because after the first couple of years, you won't have as much restriction, hunger returns (never as bad as before surgery for me) and it takes a lot more effort. But once you know how to do it, and you are thin, it's not nearly as daunting as without a sleeve. So, to answer your question, yes, others have done this and you can, too! It's up to you how use this gift. If I can do it, anyone can, even you

I'm not looking to revise, but responding because we were sleeved around the same time. I also have very little restriction these days, though I still do have it. Some days it's better than others. I think that's normal, for the most part. I think by three years out it's pretty common to be able to eat pretty normal (not "normal" overeating, like most of used to do). Anyway, I sometimes wish I could get a "touch up" or something, because even though I am maintaining at what is a good weight for me, I'd like to lose 5-10 pounds more. Also, now my weight management is about 70% me and 30% sleeve. I could easily eat my way right back to 300 pounds if I let myself. I asked my surgeon about a re-do or if I was possibly stretched, and he said that it's common to be able to eat as much as I can now, and that sometime people develop areas of stretching or ballooning in the stomach, but there is no evidence to prove that having that causes weight gain, or that removing it causes weight loss. In other words, it's up to us. For me, the surgery isn't worth the risk. Have you reviewed your diet? How much are you eating? Are you weighing, measuring, and tracking your food? Are you increasing your activity? Are you taking anything for the reflux? (I also get it sometimes, but only if I eat too much, just like pre-op). Only you and your doc can decide if you need a second surgery, but my point is you still do have a sleeve, and probably it can still help you. Mine still helps me, but I have to do the work.

167.4

I just had that done, too. It was like little short stabbing pain, and it was a little pink the first day, but other than the actual treatment, it didn't hurt. I have to have 6 treatments, 6 weeks apart. The first time I went they used a new machine, and it hurt worse than the second time, when they used an older machine.

My doc said RNY loses about 10% more statistically, but any of us can lose more. I had the sleeve and have lost about 95% of my excess weight, which surpasses statistics for all WLS. I'm not sure what you mean about mentally intensive, but my guess is no, it's all hard work, so one isn't harder than the other. I had the sleeve because I wanted to be able to take NSAIDs, didn't want intestines to be re-routed, or risk of dumping. If I had the chance to do it over, I'd do it all again. I lost >140 pounds and kept it off over a year.

I spend less on groceries and eat better. I've learned to buy less so I throw out less. I spend way less time thinking about, collecting, preparing, and eating food. It's way better.

I think timing is everything. I do think life partners have a need to know the kind of stuff you are keeping private. He's not in that category yet, and you are not obligated to disclose. I understand the need to put your past behind you and wanting live in the present. I would, too. But I also think that if you do become more serious, these are things you should disclose. By then his opinion of you will be formed, and it's just for informational purposes. I would be pretty upset if I married someone who withheld that type of information. In the meantime, try to enjoy this time. Don't stress about it, knowing you will tell him when the time is right.

No regrets, and I'd do it again if I needed to. I hated being fat more than I knew, and it was always on my mind because it impacted so much of my life. I was always either on a diet or thinking I should be on one, and feeling guilty I wasn't. Even when I was on a diet, I couldn't get my calorie intake low enough, long enough, for it to be effective. Yet, with all that worry, mind numbing thinking, and true physical effort, I stayed fat and felt powerless against it. The sleeve changed my life. I still have to think about what I eat, but at least I'm not starved all the time and I have succeeded in losing over 140 pounds. I've kept it off more than a year, and every day, it is worth the sacrifices I've made to get here.

Glad to hear that things have turned around for you. I'm doing well. Everything is healed. I still have some mild, residual swelling in my left foot, and it's marginally better than it was. I still hate it, but I'm adjusting to having it, and honestly, it's not noticeable to others. I am still planning some lipo in my hips and right leg, though I am not sure of when it is. I was going to do it early July, but didn't nail down the date so I'm waiting to hear back from the office. I think I'm sort of teetering on putting it off a while. I have really put my body through the ringer, and that would be a third surgery in under a year. How does your belly look?