jenakaela

FINALLY!!!!! Surgery is set for April 9th and pre-op appt is next week 3/21...finally met my surgeon's wt goal on Friday and 4wks away from surgery. Not as nervous and scared as I thought. Maybe as I get closer I'll start feeling it. I can finall chill and get things into perspective as I patiently wait for April 9th.
Lota

I can finally take a chill pill and start getting things in order before my surgery on April 9, 2013, exactly a week after my 39th bday. I guess this will be the best bday gift to myself . Haven't quite hit me yet, maybe as I get closer to the 9th I'll start freaking out. This online support has been my lifesaver at times and I'm thankful for that. I have read about the good, the bad, and of course the uggglllyyyy! And as we all know each individual is different, however I do look forward to major changes coming my way. I'm not expecting things to change over night, but as long as this dreadful wt comes off I'm good with that. Its not going to be easy, but I'm ready to tackle this head on. It wasn't easy losing 35lbs on my own to get my surgery date, so I certainly don't expect things to be any easier after surgery. The best thing I can take away from this experience so far is that for the first time since I was 17yrs old I can proudly say "I DID NOT USE ANY DIET pills TO LOSE 35LBS". Thank you all for the inspiring stories that will always get me through my toughest days as I continue to push forward in my journey to a HEALTHIER and HAPPIER ME. Have a great day and God Bless!
Lota

I can finally take a chill pill and start getting things in order before my surgery on April 9, 2013, exactly a week after my 39th bday. I guess this will be the best bday gift to myself . Haven't quite hit me yet, maybe as I get closer to the 9th I'll start freaking out. This online support has been my lifesaver at times and I'm thankful for that. I have read about the good, the bad, and of course the uggglllyyyy! And as we all know each individual is different, however I do look forward to major changes coming my way. I'm not expecting things to change over night, but as long as this dreadful wt comes off I'm good with that. Its not going to be easy, but I'm ready to tackle this head on. It wasn't easy losing 35lbs on my own to get my surgery date, so I certainly don't expect things to be any easier after surgery. The best thing I can take away from this experience so far is that for the first time since I was 17yrs old I can proudly say "I DID NOT USE ANY DIET pills TO LOSE 35LBS". Thank you all for the inspiring stories that will always get me through my toughest days as I continue to push forward in my journey to a HEALTHIER and HAPPIER ME. Have a great day and God Bless!
Lota

Good luck tomorrow... praying for a speedy and healthy recovery for you.
Lota
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YOU LOOK AMAZING! So much younger...I commented to my husband that your current photo looks like your the daughter to the before picture lol. Truly inspiring I can't wait for my turn and you will reach your goal in no time. Congrats on the weight loss.
Lota

Hi Nessa its not too late to go back to school to be a nurse. I'm 38 (39 in April) I started late myself and am taking it one semester at a time (1-2 classes a semester), so I can be here for my girls my top priority. Good luck!
Lota

Hi Nessa its not too late to go back to school to be a nurse. I'm 38 (39 in April) I started late myself and am taking it one semester at a time (1-2 classes a semester), so I can be here for my girls my top priority. Good luck!
Lota

I'm a 38yo Samoan female, married 19yrs with 3 beautiful daughters (profile pic) ages 17, 15, and 12, lived in California all my life. I'm a stay at home mom who is very active in my kids lives, 2 of my daughters play volleyball and basketball, other daughter is less athletic, but very artistic...completely the opposite of her sisters.
My favorite thing right now is working out! I'm pre-op trying very hard to get myself prepped and ready for the aftermath (waiting patiently for a surgery date lol that's where the working out part comes in handy to get my mind off of the presurgery process). I love being with my husband and kids...just got back from a roadtrip visiting family in the bay area. We're a very active family despite my wt...which I know will be off the hook once 100lbs or so will eventually come off in the near future with the help of this surgery.
Lota

YOU LOOK AMAZING! So much younger...I commented to my husband that your current photo looks like your the daughter to the before picture lol. Truly inspiring I can't wait for my turn and you will reach your goal in no time. Congrats on the weight loss.
Lota

Leaving for the hospital soon. Totally nervous ! I am hoping to blog about my experiences.
???? Wish me luck! Thanks everyone!
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YAYYY...CONGRATS Kimi!
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Congrats kimi! Yayyy
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I hope your still hanging in there...I'm pre-op hoping for a surgery date in March. I've been experimenting with pre-op diets to get a feel of it this past week and I did pretty good (lost 9lbs). My Dr wants me to lose 26lbs n I'm down 13lbs do far but it has not been easy. You're so close stay focus or read a book it helps ease the mind. How long is your liquid diet? Good luck... mind over matter.
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Yippeee no copay one less expense I gotta worry about.

Thank you, before I quit smoking my whole world revolved around my cigs. It didn't matter to me how much I was spending on those cancersticks (what my oldest daughter calls them) lol or what it was doing to my health. To this day I never thought in a million years it was possible for me to quit smoking. The first 2-3wks were hard as heck, but I got through it with help of my hubby and the kids and the Patches of course. Same here I stressed so much on losing weight the last 2 wks I nearly gave up, until I got on here and started reading up on all the different stories and what members have gone through or going through to get to where they're at currently and its reassuring that I'm only human. I try to be positive and stay focused on my mini goals and soon enough I'll be on here spreading the news about my surgery date, which I'm patiently awaiting because if it were up to me I would've had the surgery last week . Stay positive and those stubborn 2lbs will melt off of you.

So I got my approval and I an scheduled for surgery jan 29th I am incredibly nervous and excited-ish and arghhh all at once. I have a one and a half year old and it breaks my heart to be so far away from her and not being able to lift and play with her for 6 weeks but I want to live an be happy to see her and my future children grow up. I want to break my familiez cycle of dyin of heart diseases blood pressure issues and diabetis an obesity. I will no longer let myself live to eat, there is so much more to life I am 23 I have a happy future to look forward too. If anyone has any words of encouragement or wisdom to give please say it. These nerves and anxiety are taking thier toll, wish I had more family support and understanding.

You look great! Seeing all the pics and reading different stories on here is very inspiring to me (pre-op). Thank you all for the inspiration.

As usual, my response will be a novella. Bear with me!
I think the biggest thing to be aware of is that the sleeve is going to help immediately (and forever) with Portion Control. You will never sit down and eat an entire pie, pizza or box of Cookies in one sitting again. That said, the emotional and habitual triggers will not be resolved. I think a lot of people transition from binge eating into grazing because that's what their sleeve will allow.
I was completely in denial about my overeating and binge eating until I was forced to confront it post op. I had really, really convinced myself that my weight and inability to lose it was entirely due to my diabetes, my hormones, my metabolism, whatever. I really thought that simply controlling my portion size would be this miracle solution and that for the first time in my life the weight would just fly off and I'd be skinny.
It wasn't until I stumbled upon the book "Hungry" by Allen Zadoff that I acknowledged the behavior I'd been denying and realized why I was struggling with my emotions post op.
The most important thing to do is track your food. I tracked every single bite religiously, to the point of ridiculousness, actually. Six M&Ms and a sip of soda? I'd do the math and add them into MyFitnessPal rather than ignore them. This was the first big step in acknowledging what I was eating.
The next step was to force myself into a set caloric/nutritional window. If I didn't have "slack" to indulge on any given day, I did not do it. That was tough and many a night I went to bed thinking about food. But it was so important to me that I learn to control my eating instead of continuing to be a slave to my desire for food. I LUSTED after food. I had to break those habits and the easiest way was taking advantage of that window where I had zero physical hunger and using it to overcome the habit of eating.
From that point, I evaluated my emotions and feelings every time I found myself thinking about food or opening the door to the fridge. Once I pinpointed my triggers I was able to stop the behavior. The sleeve made this so much easier for me, because I really wasn't experiencing any hunger. The only time I ever struggle with this is during my cycle, when my hormones are wacky and I feel like I could eat paint chips off the wall (all despite feeling ZERO actual, physical hunger) but I still keep myself under control.
Once I was able to tackle those three things, I had to learn moderation. I could not treat the sleeve like a diet. I could not approach the sleeve as the other half of a life on Atkins. For me to succeed and feel happy about my success, I needed to feel like I wasn't denying myself or like I was fencing off an entire world of food forever.
This is different for everyone, because some people have serious trigger foods like white sugar or white flour that make it incredibly difficult to incorporate them in moderation. My only real trigger at this point is popcorn. I could eat it every day. Every other food that used to set me off has no control over me these days. So my experience in this won't work for everyone.
But basically, I found that around six to nine months post op that I was able to incorporate a more reasonable amount of carbs and good, quality fats into my diet. All at once my mood improved and I stopped dreaming about food at night. I was able to indulge myself occasionally without feeling the compulsion to eat myself sick. From that point forward I started eating about 40% Protein, 30% carbs and 30% fat as my diet.
I try to make good quality food choices 90% of the time but I allow myself 10% of give where I'll eat whatever strikes my fancy. If I feel like I'm slipping I immediately start tracking every calorie again and find out if I really am slipping or if it's all in my head. Usually it's in my head, to be honest. There's a huge amount of baggage that goes with a lifetime of negative body image, crazy diets and generally poor eating habits. There were times when eating a few bites of cake could make me feel guilty but if I counted up my calories for the day I'd see that there's nothing wrong with a few extra calories and carbs.
And I'll admit that those days are mostly behind me at two and a half years out. I have now ingrained the habit of healthier eating and the desire to binge and graze endlessly is gone. Most of the emotional baggage has been worked through and shelved, and I don't question my choices like I used to do. It really is a huge relief to feel this way - I imagine this is how people that never had food issues or a weight problem feel about food. It's just food. I enjoy it, sure, but it doesn't control me or make me feel guilty or send me into fantasies where I eat it all anymore.
All of that aside, I did not whip down to goal quickly. I was still a slow loser, even sleeved and doing my best to be healthy mentally and physically. It took me 17 months to reach goal but when I got there I was ready for it. Maintenance was a breeze for me once I accepted my body's happy weight was going to be a few pounds more than I wanted. This is why you will see me repeat the same things over and over again here - it's important to learn moderation and stumble on your way to healthy BEFORE you reach goal. Do not save up all of the issues that caused your obesity until that point and then try to live a normal life while unpacking your baggage!
I could not have done this without my sleeve. I urge anyone that's working through this to really address it as something you can fix, something you can control. You really are in charge of your body. Make the sleeve, and the fact that you removed most of your stomach, count. It is a struggle. It is hard. Those compulsions, cravings and desires are seriously hard to break, but we can do it. I'd say we HAVE to do it if we want to live life at goal as a happy and healthy person.
Best of luck to everyone struggling with this.
~Cheri

That's awesome thank you and congratulations on your new stomach, hopefully you're doing well. I use to think that wls was a cop out, but after doing so much of my own research and reading up on the info from my dr. its far from it. Thank God for internet . I wish you well on a speedy and healthy recovery and can't wait to read about your updates. God Bless.

Hi there so sorry about what you're going through, whatever you do DON'T GIVE IN TO THE PACK, I can't imagine how you're feeling but things will get better. I'll be praying for you.