MichiganChic

Looking good! And to answer your question - I find myself taking lots of "self-portraits", lol. What's even funnier is that I'm 50 years old, and I send them to my parents to "enjoy"!! I swear I'm worse than my 17 year old daughter

Me too! I keep telling my 77 year old dad I have his neck, lol! Actually, it's worse. It looks like one of those wrinkley dogs! I just can't believe it...and I'm already counting the days till I can have some plastics done. I'm going to look into some botox after reading this thread. I'm 50 and my skin looked good when it was all filled in, but now I'm starting to look 50....yikes! I'm not above a little rejuvination

Yes, smoking poses such an increased risk. My doc won't even do surgery on smokers - he's had two leaks with the sleeve, and both were smokers. He actually tests people, now. I feel like I dodged a bullet with DM. I have a huge family hx of it, and I could never believe I didn't have it. When I did my preop testing, my A1C was 6.3! I was shocked. I feel like I had the surgery at the last possible minute before that switch was flipped. If all things had been equal to what they are now 15 years ago, I would have done this at 35 - it would have been worth it to me. I think of all the years I was obese and held back by it, and the things I missed out on, and it makes me sad. However, I feel like I'm turning back the clock on my health, so it's very exciting! Also, I agree, knowing what to watch for is a huge safety net. I knew I had that infection right away, and I thought at the time, most people wouldn't have. I didn't have a temp or any drainage. I called the doc and he met me in the ER on Christmas Eve, and even he was surprised by it. So, I think we are lucky and have an advantage, in that way. When is your surgery?

Dee and Laura, that ER situation is a very scary reality, and we all have seen the saddest life stories, so I think as nurses it can make decisions like this harder. I always thought "I can lose weight with diet and exercise", but I never met any real success. I looked into WLS 15 years ago, but at that time, the risks were greater and it was open surgery (RNY). I didn't have any health issues, and I had three small girls, so I didn't proceed. Now, at 50, I'm starting to see some of the weight related health issues, the risk is lower than it used to be, and I felt the benefits outweighed the risks. My youngest is in high school now, and while I don't want to leave any of them, I also want a chance at a healthy life. I'm almost 4 months out, and I'm happy I did this. I did have a complication, but it was minor (an abscess that took about 7 weeks and 2 I&Ds to heal). Now that that's behind me, I'm feeling stronger and better all the time, and I don't regret my decision. Again, it is definitely necessary to do a risk/benefit analysis, and determine your risk tolerance. I finally just put blinders on and proceeded, knowing I couldn't predict my actual risk, but I could certainly predict the weight related health issues descending upon me every day. I wish you both all the greatest success as you proceed!

My husband did support, and still does. He supported me when I was at my heaviest and did nothing but gain weight. He supported me in every fad diet, as I spent our money trying to lose. He supported me 15 years ago as I considered RNY, and then when I decided against it because I didn't have health issues. He supported me through the surgery, and now he does so for my exercise and changed eating habits. He even tells me how good I look, even though I see the saggy truth! I don't think I give him enough credit, because as I typed this, I realized how lucky I am. One thing, though...he did go to the seminar with me, and he heard about divorce rates after surgery/weight loss. He jokingly said he might not want me to do it because I might leave him! I do think there is a certain amount of uncertainty when one partner changes dramatically.

Great story, thanks for sharing. You must feel so lucky to have found all those health issues you didn't know you had....and now the opportunity to resolve them!

string cheese babybel cheese Fage 0% greek yogurt white albacore tuna canned chicken breast boiled eggs Sunsweet Ones prunes cottage cheese hummus premier Protein shakes cooked diced ham cooked diced chicken colby cheese lettuce grapes strawberries carrots Mmmm....I think I like cheese, lol

Yes, it is. Hang in there...it will get better! You just have to make it through this...but if you are like me, once you can start food, it's pretty hard to eat at first. And then, that gets better, too. Good luck!

Great job, congratulations!

I'm about 4 months out, have a really long way to go, but it's what is on my mind, too. I have restriction, but not nearly as much as some people report. I can tolerate any and all types of foods. On one hand I'm happy about that, but on the other, it worries me because so many people report a lessing restriction at 9 months to a year, like the OP. Don't get me wrong, I still weigh/measure/count everything and I don't overeat, but I can eat a slice of pizza, so I worry about the future. I'm hoping I just healed early, and I will stay this way. I also think the realization that it's a possibility to easily regain might help us to prevent just that.

Thanks, Fiddleman. I agree, it is a daily learning experience. A big part of that learning is coming to the realization that we are all unique - all the way down to our sleeves. No two bodies will respond the same, and there are so many variables. I think that's what makes it harder to find a "formula" we can live with and find true and lasting success. Love reading your posts and watching your journey, thanks for the insight.

That's a good revelation! Funny how we feel about ourselves and our relationship with food, isnt' it? I'm almost 4 months out, and I'm still coming to terms with it, too. We also had a function last night with pizza, and I ate once slice. I also felt a little concern, a)that's too many calories, why was I able to eat the whole slice with no problem, and c) should I have eaten it? But, like you, I also decided I could have eaten4-5x that amount before, and would have. I also could have eaten more later in the evening yesterday, and I didn't. So after a little worrying, I think it's OK. I felt elated that I ate way less than the "normal" people did, and even more thrilled that I was satisfied with it!! It's really all I ever used to wish for before I had surgery - that I didn't have this burning drive to eat, eat, eat! Congratulations on your new found freedom!

Sorry you are dealing with this. I'm interested to know where you got this statistic because I had not heard that. My doc's office lumps the RNY patients in with the sleeve patients for statistical purposes. Based on that, it looks like I'm losing slow, but I don't so (even though I'm in the midst of a 3 week stall!). We still absorb every calorie we eat, so really, we can't expect our bodies to behave magically different than they did before the sleeve. We all know it's only a restrictive tool, but I keep thinking that the laws of nature will win and we will lose weight (slowly for some of us) as long as we continuously maintain a lower calorie intake. So, I'm wondering, is that considered a failure? Is less of a restriction a failure? Is continued hunger the failure? I'm not sure, but would love to know. I have much less restrriction than some people here report, but I still have a LOT less capacity than before. I could easily "eat around" my sleeve right now, if I chose to, but I think that woule make me the failure, not the surgery. I would love to see studies about what constitutes failure, and the causes. I'm sure you have tried all the things we all must do to lose the weight, so I'm not going to give you advice about things you already know. Again, what you are describing is my worst feat, and I'm so sorry you are going through this. I do wish you success!

i weigh and measure things to start with, and any extra goes into individual containers. I also buy smaller quantities, and I find I buy a much smaller variety of things, too. It does make staying on plan easier, and it decreases the grocery bill, as well. As far as the yogurt goes, that's the one thing I buy larger. I buy the Fage 0% by the quart, then I can measure out less. I still hate to waste food...but I really think I waste less now than I did before because of the way my habits have changed. I used to buy anything and everything that looked good to me, which was way more than we could eat. No one in my house has suffered or even complained because these changes.

I have also noticed people who really, really regret it speaking out, but I wonder if it seems like a lot because once someone says something, others with the same thoughts chime in. It's also different from the norm we see a lot of here - people with good results who are happy. This got me thinking, and I looked at Alex's poll. If the poll results are any indication of the general concencus from the boards, I'm thinking it might not be a trend at all. The overwhelming majority would do it again. Check out the latest poll results

It's easy to get discouraged when you feel like you are putting in the effort and not losing, but hang in there and you will figure it out. I would suggest count, measure, and weigh, and maybe try some of the other poster's suggestions. I'd like to say that I'm not sure there is really a 6 month window of opportunity....I'm not that far yet, but from reading what successful vets have to say, I think we have a permanent tool that will help us for the long haul. When you look at the stats from some of them, they lost just a few pounds a month for a lot months, and they did get to goal. We can, too! Good luck!

Congratulations! That's got to feel great! And.....I'm jealous of your summer plans Have a great time!

I guess it depends on your definition of "diet". I guess I think of what I do as a diet because I count calories and protein, read labels, weigh and measure food. I believe I will be bound to this regime for the rest of my life if I am to be successful. I know that I am a grazer, (in my former life, but I'm learning not to be) and I underestimate how much I am eating if I don't write it down. It's what works for me...it gives me a sense of control, and I don't feel a bit bad about doing it. I wish the sleeve was a miracle, but for me, it's not. I still have to do the work, but it sure does make it easier! Maybe it is a miracle, now that I think about it

That's a good question....but I don't think there's an anwswer! I'm also in a stall right now, going up and down the same 3 pounds since March 18. It get's aggravating, to say the least! But I figure things are readjusting, and this too, shall pass. It has to, right? Good luck!

I felt the same way. I didn't want to be the source of anhyone's conversation, so I only told a handful of people, and my boss. I now know that they each told other people! One day the VP of HR asked me about my surgery in the elevator - and I never told anyone in HR. So, the moral of the story is tell NO ONE, unless you want everyone to know. And I think you hit the nail on the head, people start talking once you start losing anyway, so I'm not sure there is any way to avoid it. I wonder if hospitals are worse places for gossip than others?? You'd think people would get the whole concept of privacy, lol. So, I'm not mad at the people who told, because I am absolutely certain they didn't do it in malace...they are just human.

What an inspirational transformation! You look wonderful, congratulations!

I'm down 54 pounds from surgery, and 64 total with my preop diet. Currently hit a stall for the past couple of weeks. Trying to remember that it will start coming off again, but it's frustrating when that happens! Still, I'm feeling happier all the time I did this. Went from a 2x top and 26 pants to an XL top and 18/20 pants. Hope this finds everyone else doing well!

Yeah, those little balls of gooey sugar have more calories than I thought!

Way to set your priorities! We will be here when you get back - have fun!

Wonderful story, beautiful ring, congratulations!