Healthygal

I LOVE that....walking into your healing. I'm going to think of that when my surgery day comes!
Cara

I went to a wonderful arts show today with my mother. The weather was gorgeous, there were tons of booths full of talented artists with great stuff for sale. We walked and walked up and down the aisles. It was marvelous. Granted we walked for HOURS, and that's not something I typically do, but wow am I feeling it tonight. When I got home I could barely get out of my mom's car I was so sore! The front of my ankle area, my hips and my lower back and screaming at me and have been for hours, even after resting. Yes, I could buy that I'd be sore, but hauling my extra weight around all day is sure reminding me why I want to have this surgery. Every once in awhile I'd catch sight of myself in a window and notice that I looked like someone who was worn out and struggling with a heavy load. I am. 100 pounds of extra "me" is a lot to carry around for 5 or more hours!
I mean, wow, imagine that! Pick up a 100 pound weight and carry it around almost continuously for 5 hours!! That's what I did today! Unreal!
Though I get nervous about the procedure, I really do know this is what will work for me. I can't even stand the idea of being on another diet. I have no belief that they will work anymore so I gave up long ago. The future holds this weight for me, if not more. No way.

I went to a wonderful arts show today with my mother. The weather was gorgeous, there were tons of booths full of talented artists with great stuff for sale. We walked and walked up and down the aisles. It was marvelous. Granted we walked for HOURS, and that's not something I typically do, but wow am I feeling it tonight. When I got home I could barely get out of my mom's car I was so sore! The front of my ankle area, my hips and my lower back and screaming at me and have been for hours, even after resting. Yes, I could buy that I'd be sore, but hauling my extra weight around all day is sure reminding me why I want to have this surgery. Every once in awhile I'd catch sight of myself in a window and notice that I looked like someone who was worn out and struggling with a heavy load. I am. 100 pounds of extra "me" is a lot to carry around for 5 or more hours!
I mean, wow, imagine that! Pick up a 100 pound weight and carry it around almost continuously for 5 hours!! That's what I did today! Unreal!
Though I get nervous about the procedure, I really do know this is what will work for me. I can't even stand the idea of being on another diet. I have no belief that they will work anymore so I gave up long ago. The future holds this weight for me, if not more. No way.

Okay, this has been on my mind big time lately, as I'm sure it was on many others pre-op. I've been trying to decide if I want to do this. I've been fat ALL my life, always. I never knew anything else except for a brief period of time in high school when I was biking all the time and hardly ate anything. Otherwise, yeah, I was the fat gal everywhere I went. My weight is currently 250 and I'm 44 years old. Sooo, tired of it.
When I read about people on here really struggling with keeping weight off a couple of years out and more, I keep wondering, what was the point, then? If you have to watch your food like a hawk, get on the scale a great deal, fuss and worry about weight gain...why not just do all those same things with all of your stomach intact? If you're willing to do it now that you've had the surgery, why don't we just do all those things NOW and keep our stomachs?
So what I'm not hearing in the posts is WHY having had the sleeve done was beneficial for you. Do you feel you are living the same way afterwards as you did before it? Does it help you keep your weight in line, even years later? People keep calling it a "tool", how is it assisting you later on when the weight gain becomes a worry?
Before I do something this drastic, I would want to know that even when weight gain became an issue a few years out, the sleeve was still helping me in some way while I exercised and ate right. If you start to gain some weight, is it easier to get back off because of the sleeve? Because if all I'm looking at is this dramatic weight loss for the first couple of years and then I'm back to white-knuckling my existence with food, then what were the expense, pain, and possible risks for?
I hope this makes sense. I'm tired of being tired, being the fat lady in the group, losing and regaining, and watching my weight issues get worse over time. I don't want to waddle my way through the rest of my life. I want to feel good and look good and avoid diabetes and other issues. I'm a nurse and know what I'm looking at if I stay at this weight. Sigh!
Thanks!
Cara

Hey everyone on here. I'm in southeastern IN, but I'll be going to Cincy for my surgery with Dr. Brad Watkins. I'm nervous, and will probably have to wait for six months to do a doctor approved diet thing, but that's okay. Deep inside I know this is what I need to do, but who wants to think about what's going to be done! Not me, I'm a nurse! I do my level best not to even think about what happens during the procedure as it will just make me crazy going over the details!

Okay, this has been on my mind big time lately, as I'm sure it was on many others pre-op. I've been trying to decide if I want to do this. I've been fat ALL my life, always. I never knew anything else except for a brief period of time in high school when I was biking all the time and hardly ate anything. Otherwise, yeah, I was the fat gal everywhere I went. My weight is currently 250 and I'm 44 years old. Sooo, tired of it.
When I read about people on here really struggling with keeping weight off a couple of years out and more, I keep wondering, what was the point, then? If you have to watch your food like a hawk, get on the scale a great deal, fuss and worry about weight gain...why not just do all those same things with all of your stomach intact? If you're willing to do it now that you've had the surgery, why don't we just do all those things NOW and keep our stomachs?
So what I'm not hearing in the posts is WHY having had the sleeve done was beneficial for you. Do you feel you are living the same way afterwards as you did before it? Does it help you keep your weight in line, even years later? People keep calling it a "tool", how is it assisting you later on when the weight gain becomes a worry?
Before I do something this drastic, I would want to know that even when weight gain became an issue a few years out, the sleeve was still helping me in some way while I exercised and ate right. If you start to gain some weight, is it easier to get back off because of the sleeve? Because if all I'm looking at is this dramatic weight loss for the first couple of years and then I'm back to white-knuckling my existence with food, then what were the expense, pain, and possible risks for?
I hope this makes sense. I'm tired of being tired, being the fat lady in the group, losing and regaining, and watching my weight issues get worse over time. I don't want to waddle my way through the rest of my life. I want to feel good and look good and avoid diabetes and other issues. I'm a nurse and know what I'm looking at if I stay at this weight. Sigh!
Thanks!
Cara

Excellent points, everyone. How many times have I wished I could get to a health weight and "only" have 5-10 pounds to lose, rather than facing 100! With this I would have that ability, to go to a healthy weight I've never been at as an adult and learn better ways to maintain it. I hadn't thought of it that way before.

Another thing I am hoping and planning is that once I get my weight down, I will be able to take up a lot more activity that I'm just too tired to accomplish now. I really love to bike, and it will be so much easier to go long distances without 100 pounds extra to push along! Heck, I might take up volleyball. I used to like that back in grade school.

Another thing I am hoping and planning is that once I get my weight down, I will be able to take up a lot more activity that I'm just too tired to accomplish now. I really love to bike, and it will be so much easier to go long distances without 100 pounds extra to push along! Heck, I might take up volleyball. I used to like that back in grade school.

Okay, this has been on my mind big time lately, as I'm sure it was on many others pre-op. I've been trying to decide if I want to do this. I've been fat ALL my life, always. I never knew anything else except for a brief period of time in high school when I was biking all the time and hardly ate anything. Otherwise, yeah, I was the fat gal everywhere I went. My weight is currently 250 and I'm 44 years old. Sooo, tired of it.
When I read about people on here really struggling with keeping weight off a couple of years out and more, I keep wondering, what was the point, then? If you have to watch your food like a hawk, get on the scale a great deal, fuss and worry about weight gain...why not just do all those same things with all of your stomach intact? If you're willing to do it now that you've had the surgery, why don't we just do all those things NOW and keep our stomachs?
So what I'm not hearing in the posts is WHY having had the sleeve done was beneficial for you. Do you feel you are living the same way afterwards as you did before it? Does it help you keep your weight in line, even years later? People keep calling it a "tool", how is it assisting you later on when the weight gain becomes a worry?
Before I do something this drastic, I would want to know that even when weight gain became an issue a few years out, the sleeve was still helping me in some way while I exercised and ate right. If you start to gain some weight, is it easier to get back off because of the sleeve? Because if all I'm looking at is this dramatic weight loss for the first couple of years and then I'm back to white-knuckling my existence with food, then what were the expense, pain, and possible risks for?
I hope this makes sense. I'm tired of being tired, being the fat lady in the group, losing and regaining, and watching my weight issues get worse over time. I don't want to waddle my way through the rest of my life. I want to feel good and look good and avoid diabetes and other issues. I'm a nurse and know what I'm looking at if I stay at this weight. Sigh!
Thanks!
Cara

I so resonate with what you are saying. I think reading these posts is helping me get a clearer picture of what the sleeve does for people post-surgery. That's what I was truly asking about. I wasn't saying, "Well, if it's work afterwards, why bother?" I knew there would be work on the causes of the overeating, and choosing good foods, etc. But some of the posts sounded like they were really struggling with not gaining back. Some of the studies I read said that at 6 years out the excess weight loss was at a median 50% of what was lost initially. So I thought, hmmm, does the sleeve start to fail people? Does it stretch and they eat too much again? Do they still crave the bad stuff and just give up? I guess what I would hope is that when I reached that stage and COULD eat more, I would have learned enough about my eating issues and choose good foods that I wouldn't pack it back on again. But when considering such a drastic move as surgery, I wanted to find out how the sleeve was aiding people after a couple of years, how they felt it was still helping.
I guess in the end, it's always still up to us to make it work. I just want to know that for the investment in so many ways, it will continue to help me permanently and make things simpler.

These are great responses! No, I wasn't looking at the sleeve to be a "cure". I know better than that! What I wanted, and have gotten some of in these responses, was to know HOW the sleeve made things easier as a tool, or if the struggles were exactly the same as they would have been when I've had my whole stomach and was struggling with dieting. I know for certain doing this will require paying attention to my eating issues, making smart choices, and exercising. That's okay with me. I wanted to know exactly what part the sleeve was playing in helping the process. I didn't want to think I'd have this surgery and then it would stretch out in a couple of years and I'd be right back where I was before. It is a super-big decision and I wanted to know what the sleeve was going to be offering me later on as a tool, or if the effects diminished.
I am a food addict, too, and feeling full seems to be a big thing with me. It's a comfort. Also, hiding behind being BIG has given me a feeling of being more physically imposing and stronger, that people couldn't just push me over. That's one emotional issue I'll have to work through, because it actually scares me a little to think of being smaller. I've never been the smaller one in the group! I'm learning to find strengths inside myself that I can make shine, rather than thinking I have to physically be the BIG ONE who can't be pushed and manipulated.
All of my diets failed because I got sick of being hungry and feeling like I was restricted all the time. When I did allow myself some of the good things, because I seem to want quantity over quality, I would invariably eat a WHOLE BUNCH and then I'd be back where I started in short order. Maybe part of the issue was also that, as I said above, I'm not mentally used to be smaller. That's going to require some work to get that worked out. I also have social anxiety, so having MORE attention paid to me would be, well, nerve-wracking.
So yeah, there are lots of issues that will need work and attention. What I wanted to know was that having the sleeve done will continue to be an asset in my weight loss into the future and realy help me out, not just cause a lot of weight loss at first and then stretch and put me back to where I was at the start.

Excellent points, everyone. How many times have I wished I could get to a health weight and "only" have 5-10 pounds to lose, rather than facing 100! With this I would have that ability, to go to a healthy weight I've never been at as an adult and learn better ways to maintain it. I hadn't thought of it that way before.

I so resonate with what you are saying. I think reading these posts is helping me get a clearer picture of what the sleeve does for people post-surgery. That's what I was truly asking about. I wasn't saying, "Well, if it's work afterwards, why bother?" I knew there would be work on the causes of the overeating, and choosing good foods, etc. But some of the posts sounded like they were really struggling with not gaining back. Some of the studies I read said that at 6 years out the excess weight loss was at a median 50% of what was lost initially. So I thought, hmmm, does the sleeve start to fail people? Does it stretch and they eat too much again? Do they still crave the bad stuff and just give up? I guess what I would hope is that when I reached that stage and COULD eat more, I would have learned enough about my eating issues and choose good foods that I wouldn't pack it back on again. But when considering such a drastic move as surgery, I wanted to find out how the sleeve was aiding people after a couple of years, how they felt it was still helping.
I guess in the end, it's always still up to us to make it work. I just want to know that for the investment in so many ways, it will continue to help me permanently and make things simpler.

These are great responses! No, I wasn't looking at the sleeve to be a "cure". I know better than that! What I wanted, and have gotten some of in these responses, was to know HOW the sleeve made things easier as a tool, or if the struggles were exactly the same as they would have been when I've had my whole stomach and was struggling with dieting. I know for certain doing this will require paying attention to my eating issues, making smart choices, and exercising. That's okay with me. I wanted to know exactly what part the sleeve was playing in helping the process. I didn't want to think I'd have this surgery and then it would stretch out in a couple of years and I'd be right back where I was before. It is a super-big decision and I wanted to know what the sleeve was going to be offering me later on as a tool, or if the effects diminished.
I am a food addict, too, and feeling full seems to be a big thing with me. It's a comfort. Also, hiding behind being BIG has given me a feeling of being more physically imposing and stronger, that people couldn't just push me over. That's one emotional issue I'll have to work through, because it actually scares me a little to think of being smaller. I've never been the smaller one in the group! I'm learning to find strengths inside myself that I can make shine, rather than thinking I have to physically be the BIG ONE who can't be pushed and manipulated.
All of my diets failed because I got sick of being hungry and feeling like I was restricted all the time. When I did allow myself some of the good things, because I seem to want quantity over quality, I would invariably eat a WHOLE BUNCH and then I'd be back where I started in short order. Maybe part of the issue was also that, as I said above, I'm not mentally used to be smaller. That's going to require some work to get that worked out. I also have social anxiety, so having MORE attention paid to me would be, well, nerve-wracking.
So yeah, there are lots of issues that will need work and attention. What I wanted to know was that having the sleeve done will continue to be an asset in my weight loss into the future and realy help me out, not just cause a lot of weight loss at first and then stretch and put me back to where I was at the start.

Pookeyism has pretty much said it all in her post. Everyone has a "why". Why did I do it? Why couldn't I do it on my own? I am not sleeved, yet. And that being said I have no long term advice I can give. But I can give you what my heart believes. The sleeve makes it possible. If it were possible to a healthy weight without the sleeve, then all of us who have been here would not be. Obesity is not a choice anyone wants. I truly believe the sleeve, as a tool, makes us stay true to what needs to be. Weight loss is just as much of a mental battle as it is a physical one. I feel the sleeve gives you a break on the physical fight, so that we can spend our energies on the mental one. The struggle is redefining our relationships with food. What it means in our lives. The sleeve covers the physical aspect of hunger and over indulging. We have to work on the "why" we are eating and "why" we are choosing what to eat. And as far as struggles with gaining back weight... I believe that, once a healthy weight is obtained, we are much more likely to want to keep it than let it slip. I think most people who write about struggling to keep the weight off long term mean in excess. Even naturally thin people struggle to keep off the pesky extra 10-15lbs. But people who fight obesity have never had to worry about such low amounts, it is all new. I honestly cannot imagine at this point what struggling to just lose 10lbs to be a healthy weight would be like! I think long term sleevers are describing that, not the amounts of weight we face pre op. I do not believe I will EVER be able to get as heavy as I am now once I have the sleeve. I have no intent of it. Because at the end of the day we do go through a LOT of pain, money and possible side effects to get where we need to be. It should serve as a reminder and a testament. I have surrendered myself to the fact I cannot do it alone. It is all about personal choice, and this is mine.

Okay, this has been on my mind big time lately, as I'm sure it was on many others pre-op. I've been trying to decide if I want to do this. I've been fat ALL my life, always. I never knew anything else except for a brief period of time in high school when I was biking all the time and hardly ate anything. Otherwise, yeah, I was the fat gal everywhere I went. My weight is currently 250 and I'm 44 years old. Sooo, tired of it.
When I read about people on here really struggling with keeping weight off a couple of years out and more, I keep wondering, what was the point, then? If you have to watch your food like a hawk, get on the scale a great deal, fuss and worry about weight gain...why not just do all those same things with all of your stomach intact? If you're willing to do it now that you've had the surgery, why don't we just do all those things NOW and keep our stomachs?
So what I'm not hearing in the posts is WHY having had the sleeve done was beneficial for you. Do you feel you are living the same way afterwards as you did before it? Does it help you keep your weight in line, even years later? People keep calling it a "tool", how is it assisting you later on when the weight gain becomes a worry?
Before I do something this drastic, I would want to know that even when weight gain became an issue a few years out, the sleeve was still helping me in some way while I exercised and ate right. If you start to gain some weight, is it easier to get back off because of the sleeve? Because if all I'm looking at is this dramatic weight loss for the first couple of years and then I'm back to white-knuckling my existence with food, then what were the expense, pain, and possible risks for?
I hope this makes sense. I'm tired of being tired, being the fat lady in the group, losing and regaining, and watching my weight issues get worse over time. I don't want to waddle my way through the rest of my life. I want to feel good and look good and avoid diabetes and other issues. I'm a nurse and know what I'm looking at if I stay at this weight. Sigh!
Thanks!
Cara

Okay, this has been on my mind big time lately, as I'm sure it was on many others pre-op. I've been trying to decide if I want to do this. I've been fat ALL my life, always. I never knew anything else except for a brief period of time in high school when I was biking all the time and hardly ate anything. Otherwise, yeah, I was the fat gal everywhere I went. My weight is currently 250 and I'm 44 years old. Sooo, tired of it.
When I read about people on here really struggling with keeping weight off a couple of years out and more, I keep wondering, what was the point, then? If you have to watch your food like a hawk, get on the scale a great deal, fuss and worry about weight gain...why not just do all those same things with all of your stomach intact? If you're willing to do it now that you've had the surgery, why don't we just do all those things NOW and keep our stomachs?
So what I'm not hearing in the posts is WHY having had the sleeve done was beneficial for you. Do you feel you are living the same way afterwards as you did before it? Does it help you keep your weight in line, even years later? People keep calling it a "tool", how is it assisting you later on when the weight gain becomes a worry?
Before I do something this drastic, I would want to know that even when weight gain became an issue a few years out, the sleeve was still helping me in some way while I exercised and ate right. If you start to gain some weight, is it easier to get back off because of the sleeve? Because if all I'm looking at is this dramatic weight loss for the first couple of years and then I'm back to white-knuckling my existence with food, then what were the expense, pain, and possible risks for?
I hope this makes sense. I'm tired of being tired, being the fat lady in the group, losing and regaining, and watching my weight issues get worse over time. I don't want to waddle my way through the rest of my life. I want to feel good and look good and avoid diabetes and other issues. I'm a nurse and know what I'm looking at if I stay at this weight. Sigh!
Thanks!
Cara

RN here, for the past 5 years. Been in solid organ transplant, med/surg, cardiopulmonary stepdown/tele, and long term care. I've decided I'm kind of worn out on the bedside care and am finishing my BSN with an eye towards nurse practitioner, probably adult/geriatric care but I could change my mind about that. I had no previous experience in medical when I went into nursing, I was a graphic artist! I've always been interested in science and the body, though, so I am now 44 because I came into it all late.
I've spent my entire life heavy. ALL of it. I was a rolly polly little girl and never stopped aside from brief times that I starved myself. I have PCOS as well. I've gained and lost the same 50-75 pounds so many times I don't even want to think about it anymore. I don't want to be "the fat one" in the room or on the staff anymore. I don't want to have dementia patients asking me when my baby is due anymore. I don't want to be tired, sweating, and having my screaming joints fighting me while I'm running up and down halls to care for 30 patients anymore. Nope. I want to have a lean, healthy body, do things I've never done before because I never had the energy, become a nurse practitioner and deal more with pathophysiology, and finally enjoy some things I never have been able to. I know it will be plenty of work, but at least I will feel that I'm getting somewhere with it rather than it being temporarily lost and will come back with more fat buddies in a few months.
I'm scared about the surgery...I'm still in the paper-processing stage. And I know I will probably be a crying mess the morning of the surgery. But I do know this is my last chance of making a real, sustainable change in my health. Otherwise, here comes diabetes, arthritis, hip replacement, cardiac issues...you name it. I mean, I know we all die of something one day, but I'd like to have lived first!!
I'm currently at 268 pounds, 5 foot 4 inches. My highest has been 281. Here's hoping for a much healthier and happier future fpr all of us.

RN here, for the past 5 years. Been in solid organ transplant, med/surg, cardiopulmonary stepdown/tele, and long term care. I've decided I'm kind of worn out on the bedside care and am finishing my BSN with an eye towards nurse practitioner, probably adult/geriatric care but I could change my mind about that. I had no previous experience in medical when I went into nursing, I was a graphic artist! I've always been interested in science and the body, though, so I am now 44 because I came into it all late.
I've spent my entire life heavy. ALL of it. I was a rolly polly little girl and never stopped aside from brief times that I starved myself. I have PCOS as well. I've gained and lost the same 50-75 pounds so many times I don't even want to think about it anymore. I don't want to be "the fat one" in the room or on the staff anymore. I don't want to have dementia patients asking me when my baby is due anymore. I don't want to be tired, sweating, and having my screaming joints fighting me while I'm running up and down halls to care for 30 patients anymore. Nope. I want to have a lean, healthy body, do things I've never done before because I never had the energy, become a nurse practitioner and deal more with pathophysiology, and finally enjoy some things I never have been able to. I know it will be plenty of work, but at least I will feel that I'm getting somewhere with it rather than it being temporarily lost and will come back with more fat buddies in a few months.
I'm scared about the surgery...I'm still in the paper-processing stage. And I know I will probably be a crying mess the morning of the surgery. But I do know this is my last chance of making a real, sustainable change in my health. Otherwise, here comes diabetes, arthritis, hip replacement, cardiac issues...you name it. I mean, I know we all die of something one day, but I'd like to have lived first!!
I'm currently at 268 pounds, 5 foot 4 inches. My highest has been 281. Here's hoping for a much healthier and happier future fpr all of us.

Getting winded tying my shoes, feeling a little out of breath when I just roll over fast in bed, having been told by my doc NOT to get diabetes due to a past cardiac issue...and knowing I was already prediabetic...feeling so many things were off limits to me. Having people come up and ask me if I was "expecting" again, and having to laugh (faking being okay with it, like you do, you know?) and say, "No, I'm just fat." Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. ....
I never get anything done. We have two stories in our home and I actually don't do anything in the second story because of having to climb the stairs! I feel like a sack of potatoes with no shape. Clothes shopping is pointless because nothing looks good on me anyway, so I have taken to wearing whatever big t-shirt I tossed on the floor from yesterday...
There are a million reasons I want to get this done. I have done the diet and exercise bit, and there isn't enough life left to live to waste on that nonsense anymore.

Getting winded tying my shoes, feeling a little out of breath when I just roll over fast in bed, having been told by my doc NOT to get diabetes due to a past cardiac issue...and knowing I was already prediabetic...feeling so many things were off limits to me. Having people come up and ask me if I was "expecting" again, and having to laugh (faking being okay with it, like you do, you know?) and say, "No, I'm just fat." Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. ....
I never get anything done. We have two stories in our home and I actually don't do anything in the second story because of having to climb the stairs! I feel like a sack of potatoes with no shape. Clothes shopping is pointless because nothing looks good on me anyway, so I have taken to wearing whatever big t-shirt I tossed on the floor from yesterday...
There are a million reasons I want to get this done. I have done the diet and exercise bit, and there isn't enough life left to live to waste on that nonsense anymore.

Hot Mommas!! can't wait to be one myself! I think I'll shop for a LBD in a crazy little size just to see if I can wear it one day! (is that silly of me or what?!!)

Thanks for this thread. I'm scheduled for April surgery but lately Ive been doing so much research in complications and problems that I'm scaring myself out of it. It is reassuring to be reminded that so many people DONT have problems and it reassures me that I'm making the right decision. Thanks and best of luck with your continued success!

I think I'll just be so glad I came through the surgery and woke up that I won't care about the weight for awhile! There's no way it's not going to come off eventually with the way we have to eat after this surgery, so let your body heal and figure it all out. My plan is to not be in any hurry. The very idea that this weight is finally going to come off FOREVER is so wonderful, that even if I lose very slowly, it will be pounds I will never see again so long as I stick to the program and make the right choices. You will lose the weight...give yourself the time.