honeymunki

My biggest NSV is feeling comfortable. It is easier to do pretty much anything, but the thing that makes me the happiest is being close to my husband. At over 400 lbs, the last thing I wanted to do was snuggle, because I felt smothered by my own body. Now we can get much closer, and it's great!

Congratulations! You are such a gorgeous girl- I'm really happy for you that you will now be a gorgeous and healthy woman!

Hi friends! Just wanted to check in to celebrate 6 months of weight loss with you all. I was sleeved in Corvallis, Oregon Jan 14th 2013. My highest weight was 407, lost about 20 lbs before surgery and I have lost 121 for a total loss of 141 lbs. I've gone from a size 32-34 5x to a 22W or 2x. I am still about 116 lbs overweight, but I'm only 6 months in and I very happy with the progress I've made. It's funny, I work in a casino and wear a uniform to work which is much too large now. Occasionally, I stop in for entertainment of events when I'm not working and the compliments I get wearing clothing that actually fits are amazing! I have never felt like I made a better decision than when I got my sleeve. i spend less time than I used to on the forums, but I just wanted to share my happiness with people who would understand!

My scale said 298 this morning and under 300 lbs was my next big goal. I am super excited, and had planned to reward myself with a massage. Finances are super tight at the moment due to a trio (!) of unexpected car repairs and the massage can't happen right now. I am lucky some of my wonderful weight loss friend have passed along some too large clothes so I have size 24 jeans to wear. 24 is super exciting! I am just about the same size now that I was when I started dating my husband, I put on the top I was wearing on our first date the other day and reminded hin that we had kissed for the first time in it. Okay- now I'm getting sappy and off-topic but it was a sweet memory for us. Back to my point- who has ideas about how to celebrate without spending? Have a great day everybody!

Thanks for the tips everyone! My husband did give me a massage last night- he gets distracted though...and gets inappropriate? Maybe unprofessional would be more accurate- Basically, rewards were had by all. :wub: We're going to see The Great Gatsby in 3-D tomorrow night also.

I started at 407, surgery weight 388 on Jan 14th, and now, exactly 4 months later, my weight this AM was 296. Don't worry, as long as you follow the program, you will lose weight. VSG is a great tool for making weight loss manageable!

You are AWESOME! I am so excited for you- it gets better everyday!

You look beautiful! Congratulations on your amazing loss!

Hi Everyone- I'm celebrating today! I started at 407, lost 19 lbs before surgery on 1/14, and have lost 81 pounds since. Started at a 62 BMI- my first big victory came when I became "merely" morbidly obese. Seeing my BMI leave the SMO category was a good one, but losing 100 lbs is even better. Next stop- under 300 lbs right around the corner!

Sorry, Amy while I would love to be on your team I'm about as far from Chicago as I possibly can be in the continental us. I live on the central Oregon coast.

Thanks, everyone, for the encouragement! It is nice to be able to share with such supportive people! Graylola, I try to do water aerobics 1 hr a week, and go to the gym twice. When I am there, I do a variety of cardio exercises (walking on treadmill, recumbent bike, and elliptical) then weights. I am still a novice, so I just use the nautilus machines, eventually maybe I'll learn to do some exercises with free weights. I have been ramping up the amount of cardio I can do pretty quick as I get more fit. I started with 16 minutes the first visit to the gym, and am now up to an hour (20 min each on the 3 different types) and I'm working on upping the intensity or speed on each one. Last week, it was more important to do some housecleaning than go to the pool!

My usual breakfast is either half a cup of Fage 2% Greek Yogurt with Torani syrup and 2 tablespoons of unprocessed wheat bran, or half a cup of 4% cottage cheese, also with bran added. Neither of these is mind-blowingly good, but it's easy to put together a few ahead of time and grab one as I'm going out the door and eat on my way to work. On weekend days when I have more time I sometimes make oat bran pancakes. One quarter cup oat bran, 2 eggs, 3 packets Splenda, vanilla extract & two tablespoons of greek yogurt. I eat them with real butter and sugar free maple syrup, but you could also leave out the splenda and vanilla and use them for savory applications. By the way, that recipe makes 2 servings.

I had the surgery Jan 14th and my advice would be to have Isopure rtd shakes, crystal light and beef and chicken broth on hand for the clear liquids stage. My surgical team and NUT require clear liquids the 1st week with no "c's"- i.e. no calories, carbohydrates, caffiene or carbonation. I enjoyed broth as a break from sweetness, but don't buy a ton of it, you will be surprised how little it take to sustain you. Also, I found that I really overbought for the creamy liquids and mushy protein stages. If your experiences are anything like mine, you will feel well enough to go shopping again within a couple days of surgery, so don't feel you need months worth of stuff in your pantry. Your sense of smell will go absolutely insane after surgery, and you may hate things you loved before- for me I did a 180 in my feelings about atkins shakes and sugar-free pudding- luckily my husband was able & willing to solve that problem for me!

I am so happy to be wearing size 30 jeans! I shortened my bra straps today, too! I am so glad to have turned around and be losing weight! I was 407 and afraid I wouldn't be able to buy clothing anywhere if I gained any more weight. I weighed 390 when I was sleeved Jan 14 and have lost another 31 lbs in 3 weeks. Today I put on an old pair of size 30 jeans from deep in my closet and was so thrilled! People often talk about how happy they are to no longer be dependent on stores like Lane Bryant but it has been a few years since I could shop there and I am actually excited to be able to again. Hopefully I'll be in a 28 before too long and able to wear their clothes soon. I was pretty much relegated to the Ulla Popken website before this because I love beautiful clothes and they were the only outlet I'd found with sizes up to 36/38 and decent quality. I hate the crappy clothes at WomanWithin, besides the name sounds like you have to shop there because you ate someone. Catherines clothing has weird fit issues and is geared towards women in their 60's. When they started closing Fashion Bug stores, I was really bummed, but soon I will be able to shop many places. Once you are in a 24 or less you can shop at LL Bean, Lands End, Eddie Bauer, Macys, even Nordstrom. I CANNOT WAIT!!

I took 2 weeks, probably only really needed one. The part that is hard is getting your fluids in. I was glad to have the extra time to get used to the new routine.

I have a friend who worked with her plastic surgeon and had him do her tummy tuck immediately after the hernia repair, and only had to pay the plastic surgeon's bill, as her insurance covered the operating room costs, anesthesia, etc.

Hi Khloe! I'm sure you're excited - your big day is less than 5 weeks away! I, too was very glad to see other members who had more than 200 lbs to lose because there were many times I have felt like the fattest person in the world! It is good to know that there are many of us out there with similar struggles. You are a beautiful young woman- it will be nice when everyone can see how lovely you are. Good luck on your sleeve journey!

Thanks for all the encouragment and nice comments everyone! I was gratified today to go into a Lane Bryant and buy a pair of size 28 jeans. It just keeps getting better every day!

So I am currently at 200 percent of goal (175) and have told a couple of people this, and they thought it was a discouraging thought. But really, I'm down 57 lbs. I told one friend, I used to be like a normal sized person and a really fat person put together. Now I'm just the weight of two average-sized people. Hooray for me!

Less than a week, no problems.

I'm sorry you're discouraged, but why are they making you lose so much before surgery? If it was easy, you would weigh 175 lbs already!

My taste in food is pretty similar to what it was but I'm only 1 month out so I haven't eaten anything but protein and shakes. But SMELLS are unbelievable. I work in a customer service position, with 3 feet of granite countertop between me and the guests. But people's breath and body odor are so in my face all day. It is sickening- I can smell their tooth decay and what they ate for their last meal. It is truly disgusting, actually stomach-turning. Sorry to be a whiner, but I can't complain about this to anyone else!

Off topic question, are you a Fable fan? I am, and can't wait for number 4. But about the sleeve, don't be afraid. You are making the right decision. I just had mine done Jan 14 and I have already lost 31 lbs. The surgical recovery (for me) was totally a breeze, and my doctor allowed me to progress quickly through the stages of food to soft Proteins. I was off pain meds in less than a week, back to work in two. But the main thing to remember is that YOU are more important than food. Please don't be offended by this, but those of us who have been over 400 lbs have probably elevated food to an unnatural level of importance. Yes, you will eat delicious food again but much more meaningful is the fact that you are saving your own life! Have faith in yourself and this choice you have made, it will help you.

Thanks for the sympathy, Tawnie! It is so much better today that I skipped the lab. Seems to have resolved itself.

Hello, everyone! I also had my surgery on Monday the 14th. I was released from the hospital Tues afternoon and I'm feeling pretty good. Is everyone on a sugarfree clear liquid diet? The program I am in lets us have one bottle isopure zero card rtd protien supplement a day. I've been drinking a lot of fluids and haven't had much pain or any vomiting. I have had diarrhea since Weds so I have to go to the lab and give them a stool sample tomorrow. Sorry if TMI.