SleeveBeliever

It all depends on your focus and desire to eat and exercise according to WLS plan. You will find it will be easier and easier to be active as the months go by. 60% is average. I lost 100% or 180 lb during month 7 and am almost to month 10 now. Where there is a will there is a way as the saying goes. Keep your eye on the prize!

My doc said, "if you want to lose 100% you will". And I will!

You can definitely lose 100% of your excess weight! I am 13 months out and I am down 85% of the 124 lbs that would put me at a "normal" BMI. I personally only aim to lose another 5-10 lbs and not the full 19 pounds that would put me at a BMI of 27 vs 25. Good luck and happy losing to all!!

When I began I had weighed 223 lbs and I am 5'6".. Today I have a BMI of 23 and love it. U can do u just have to focus and do the work.

Love your honesty! Hey it is what it is! Your body will let you know if it was ok. Good luck and CHEERS!

Well it's finished so at least I didn't kill my self had no intention to...just thought is give it a go sip sip sip nice and cold that's that forbidden fruit done probably wait another 6 months before I have another it was magic though thanks for your comments keepin it real :-)

I've been craving a beer ....first week back in a job I hate with a passion ...walked round the supermarket and thought fcuk it what's the worst that could happen and as I type the awesomeness has just happened cheers to all you sleevers out there it's only one however its been fantastic 146lbs lighter just realised so happy I've done it no regrets shrinking by the day 3 months after surgery sending happy thoughts to you all

In have wondered about not being able to eat certain things and my stomach so small but then on had to think…why do I ever need to be able to do that again? That's what got me in the boat I'm in. food can't be our comfort any more. Doing fun things with our families and not being dead tired, out of breath or not fitting in an amusement park ride will be our new comfort! We can do this!!!

Sleeve believer, losing part of my stomach terrifies me for sure..and it depresses me that I have to cut out 80% of my stomach and eat a 1/4 cup of food for the rest of my life but being morbidly obese (228 and 5'3") depresses me even more.

I am just beginning this journey myself, and although I do have concerns, I am 100% certain this is for me! When I get nervous about the surgery, I tell myself, "Self, it's either going to be sleeve surgery now, or open heart surgery in the future. Which would you rather?" LOL that usually puts my positive thoughts right back on track! Good luck!

I am just beginning this journey myself, and although I do have concerns, I am 100% certain this is for me! When I get nervous about the surgery, I tell myself, "Self, it's either going to be sleeve surgery now, or open heart surgery in the future. Which would you rather?" LOL that usually puts my positive thoughts right back on track! Good luck!

I am just beginning this journey myself, and although I do have concerns, I am 100% certain this is for me! When I get nervous about the surgery, I tell myself, "Self, it's either going to be sleeve surgery now, or open heart surgery in the future. Which would you rather?" LOL that usually puts my positive thoughts right back on track! Good luck!

I grew up in a normally dysfunctional family my mom and dad were both overweight and occasionally dieted. It was not an obsession for them. I was one of six kids born right smack in the middle and the only one overweight as a child!! My brothers and sisters all struggle with weight as adults but none of them but me experienced this as a child!! And I am the largest of all of them as adults . It sure will be nice to reverse things for once in my life!! I would love to be the smallest of them all . With the sleeve this just might happen

I have 3 straws...
I was at my hair salon in November 2011 getting my hair colored and I went into the dressing room to put on a smock. None of them fit. I had to come back out of the dressing room and tell The stylist that they didn't fit. Next thing I know they are all looking throughout the salon for a clean smock that will fit. They couldn't find one so my stylist took his off and gave it to me (he's 6'3" and approx 240). I was 5'5" and 243. Needless to say I was so humiliated.
The next month I get a call from my dad who lives alone. He's 400 lbs and 6'3". He says he can't feel his legs (diabetic neuropathy). We go pick him up and he can barely walk. Then he falls at my house and he is so heavy that we can't help him up so we call an ambulance. It takes 3 large men to get him off the floor. Then it hits me. Watching my father in this state is what my little boy will be doing with me if I don't get things under control. I don't want to put him through what my siblings and I have gone through to get my father proper care. It was very eye opening.
In January, I start looking into WLS. This same month my little boy asks why we don't have any family photos. I made something up like I just liked taking pictures of him, but the reality is I never wanted my picture taken. This broke my heart. A few weeks into January and I run into a friend who had gastric sleeve surgery and she looked amazing. I decided that was Devine intervention a took the hint.
I had my 1st appt later that month and surgery in March. I still have problems with those darn smocks, but now its because they are too big for me. This has been the best decision I have ever made (outside of my marriage and my child of course)!
Thanks for reading.

I am so glad to read all these posts- I too am a foodie and have had similar concerns as I approach surgery- thank you for the reassurance!

Wow! Congrats to all on the tremendous amount of weight you've lost, and thanks so much for the input! This does help ease my mind! Terry, you sound like me, and I'm glad to know I'm not the only one that worried about this before getting sleeved! I love carbs--esp bread! I have been doing a lot of reading, and what I do read over and over is that the things you want before the sleeve is different than what you want after. I'm sure that does help with missing the food that I love now. And that is a GREAT thing, because most of my favorite food right now (fried food, bread, Desserts, etc) are exactly the things I should never eat if I want to be healthy anyway! I'm praying the sleeve will help me with that!

Hi all! I am still a newbie. My seminar isn't until 2/21. I have a question for those of you that are post-op, or even pre-op if you know the answer. Will there ever come a time when you can eat "normal" again. For example, after sleeve surgery, do we all have to avoid certain food and drink for the rest of our lives, or can we eat and drink everything we do pre-op, just much smaller quantities?? I am definitely a "foodie" (like I'm sure most of us are, that's how we got in the shape we are in LOL!), and to be honest, to have to go the rest of my life with a restricted diet is concerning and, frankly, depressing to me!! Any input from any of you is greatly appreciated! Thanks for sharing!

Everyone is different. Some cant tolerate certain things...then some (like me) can't eat anything I did before! The only thing I have found my new sleeve doesn't like is raw onions...I just get a little "burpy" other then that I eat what I want..just much smaller portions!

I feel very ill (sweaty and on the verge of vomiting) after I eat ice cream or more than just a small taste of something sweet. I love this, though, because it's a great detterent! Fried foods also make me feel yucky. But I shouldn't be eating any of this anyway! :-)
Obviously, you'll want to make healthy choices, but I can eat almost anything I did before...just in much smaller quantities. I was afraid I would feel deprived after VSG, but I definitely don't!

Hi. My name is Terry and I am a foodie.
I spent way way to much time worrying about this before surgery. After surgery a lot of things that I lived for were way less interesting to me (thanks sleeve.). Desserts, bread, Pasta don't drive me. I do truly enjoy eating great foods at great places but I can easily pick good Proteins over everything else and I'm happy with a couple of bites of carbs. You won't believe it but that has been my experience. Hope that helps put your mind at ease.
Terry

As my name explains-- my sleeve likes everything still, just half as much as before!! I do naturally make healthier decisions but I can indulge from time to time with no problems!

i am a month out and haven't any yet..had my first cup of coffee today post op.....it delicious!

Thanks! I can tolerate smaller portions, but saying goodbye to alot of the things I love forever is scary! lol

I am pretty new to all of this, but I have never been more sure of a decision in my entire life. Many people at my job have had either the sleeve or bypass, and are happy with their decision. This is my story: I am pre-op--haven't even been to the doctor yet. My seminar date is 2/21, and I CAN'T WAIT!! I am female, 45 years old, 5ft 6in., 236lbs., BMI of 38.1. I would have this surgery tomorrow if I could! I am sooo ready to get this weight off me. I was not always heavy. In my teens, I was in the 120s. In my early 20s, I was around 130-150lbs. My weight has always fluctuated. By the time I was 30, I was 170-180lbs and getting very uncomfortable with my weight. By my mid-30s, I was around 200lbs. Once in my 40s, I stayed at 226 for about 3 years, until this last year, where I am now 236 and FED UP. As I get older, the weight keeps coming on, and my energy level is almost non-existent. I have high blood pressure. In 2009, I lost approximately 35 pounds. I got down to 192. I was feeling FANTASTIC!! Then, within a year, I packed all the weight back on plus more, and my blood pressure was severely out of whack. It took me a solid year to get it back in check. I was having nosebleeds, and had to see a cardiologist because my heart rate was irregular, and I had developed a murmur. After many tests on my heart, everything was ok, except my left ventricle was slightly enlarged and not closing all the way, causing the murmur. I was put on an ace inhibitor to correct my hpb as well as, my heart irregularities. My father passed away at only 52 years old in his sleep. He was diagnosed with congestive heart failure at only 48 years old and told he had 5 years to live. He lived 4 years to the day. My father wasn't a large man--far from it. He was 5ft 11in and 180lbs. It runs in my family. And being obese on top of it scares the heck out of me! I have only told a few people about my plan to have this surgery. I think my older sister--who has no idea what it is to be overweight, because she is 150lbs and thinks she's "fat" --will give me a hard time about it, but I have to do what makes me happy and, more importantly, healthy. I am so tired of the lack of energy, the hbp pills, the joint aches and pains, the fear of a premature death and/or massive heart attack, the feeling of being out of control with food, the fear of the future weight gains, and the humiliation of being overweight. I just want to be normal again! Sure, I have anxiety over some things that are involved with this surgery--complications, losing most of my stomach, the inability to have certain food for the rest of my life, but the yearning for being healthy and thin far outweigh all of the anxiety. The morning of my surgery, I'm sure I will be terrified, because I am a chicken when it comes to things like that! But I realize it is the means to an end, and the beginning of a new and better life, and a chance to one day be able to see my grandchildren (when my daughter has them!) Those are the things that make this worth it to me. I am so thankful to have this forum and the support of all you wonderful people that understand my journey and are willing to share your stories. Many of your have helped me so much so far. I am getting a wealth of information from the real people that have been there through each step, and for that, I am beyond thankful! We are all in this together! God bless us all for having the courage to undertake such an endeavor! :wub:

It's scary, for sure, but just keep reading the positive stories. Yes, there are horror stories. Try to use them to educate yourself to be prepared and investigate your doctor. Be proactive. I have been scared to the point that I've been putting it off but I'm ready now. It just took a lot of reading and research to get me back in the process. :-) going full throttle! Lol. Good luck!