BigDaddyJoe

Husband getting sleeved today @ 3 pm. Surgery is @ bayshore hospital in holmdel with Dr. Karl Strom.

Good luck to him!

Ok people. I've just read this entire thread, and came to the following conclusion: spending pages attacking someone's comments you deem to be judgmental is JUST as judgmental as you think those comments may be. If people would just give their own advice, and not comment on someone else's, no matter how you feel about it, it wouldn't turn into a flame war. Just my 2 cents.

Will, you've lost in record time. Why do you keep thinking you're going to fail? Probably because you have so many times in the past. Make this time different. Use this tool that is the sleeve to get the most out of it. Don't set yourself up for failure. Don't stress about the future, live in the present. Deal with what you have control over. None of us knows what the future holds. Hell, the entire US economy could crash at any time, and the paper in our pockets could be as worthless as Monopoly money, and we'd ALL be jobless. Focus on what you can control, and take it by the reins, and you can get through anything.

Great idea, Tap. I would have people PM the names to you though. You don't want someone stealing a good one.

The answer for me was - no.

Great job! I'm also a March sleever - was sleeved on March 8.

My stats:

Starting weight - 274 lbs

Current weight - 180 lbs

I am 10 lbs below my surgeon's goal, and trying to stop losing with varying degrees of success.

I'm attaching my before and after picture here. The after shot was from about a month ago, I'm actually 10 lbs less than that now.

Are you a member of the March Sleevers Facebook group? I created the group for a bunch of us March sleevers that were talking in a thread on here a while back. There are currently 117 members, and it's great to see people's progress who are in a similar point in their journey. It is a 'secret' group, meaning you have to be invited, and none of your friends can see your posts or even that you're a member. If you're not a member, message me your email address and I'll get an invite out to you.

Well, the sleeve is just a tool, it doesn't address your mental issues, and why you eat when you aren't hungry, etc.. That being said, I find I no longer really care about food, so it is much easier to concentrate on eating the right things. It has become very routine for me at this point (6 months out). I pretty much eat by the clock, 3 small meals a day, with some Snacks (cheese sticks, nuts, etc) in between the meals.

I understand fearing the unknown, but in this case, embrace it! I was sleeved 6 months ago yesterday, and I can't tell you all the positive changes this has made in my life. I am actually about 10 lbs under my doctor's goal right now. I am off blood pressure medication. I have no more GERD. I have no more sleep apnea. I no longer get winded going up a flight of stairs. I can keep up with my kids. And, I look better. I didn't tell many people about the surgery beforehand, out of fear of what they would say. I wasn't going to tell people afterwards either. However, a few days after surgery, and I woke up at 5 am and it weighed heavily on my mind. I didn't feel comfortable lying to people. I decided to come clean. Write then, at 5 am, I started writing a long letter that I posted as a note on Facebook. I explained what I had done, what the surgery is, what it isn't, why I did it, how I was feeling. I ended the letter with a warning to people who would possibly be thinking of saying something negative or cracks jokes, not to do it, it wouldn't be taken lightly. I've had nothing but positive reactions from people, saying they were proud of me for taking responsibility for my health. I get questions, because people are curious about things, and I don't mind answering them. This has been one of the best decisions I've ever made, and I have absolutely no regrets. If you're interested in reading the letter I wrote, it is in my blog on this site, one of the earlier postings. Good luck to you!

I haven't held on to any of my fat clothes, got rid of 3 garbage bags full of clothes a couple months ago, and have been accumulating a pile of get rid of clothes as I pull them out of the closet and try them on and decide they look ridiculous. I had some skinnier clothes in the attic that I'm glad I had saved. I do still have my kilt from my bagpipe band, that could count as my fat clothes. I am going to need to have it altered, so I won't have it as a reminder after that.

I'm 6 months out and still get it sometimes. It really depends on how low your carb intake is.

I couldn't have yogurt until the puréed stage, after 1 week.

I am striking out left and right with free samples. I think we overwhelmed the sample givers.

Hi Melissa!

Thanks for reaching out to us at Spartos!

Unfortunately' date=' we can't send out samples but we have created a 50% discount code that will make it easier to try Spartos. Head toThirstmonger.com and type in the code 'weightcontrol' at checkout to receive 50% off your first order! They even have sample packs of just the sugar free (yellow cap) flavors.

Here is a little bit about Spartos:

- 10 grams of whey Protein isolate

- 4 major electrolytes

- No artificial flavors or colors

- Gluten, soy and caffeine free- Cane sugar or stevia sweetened (most weight loss surgery patients stick to stevia sweetened since it's sugar free)

I hope Spartos helps you in your journey! Please keep in touch as we love to hear from people who find Spartos helpful.

Best,

Melaina[/quote']

I got the identical email from them today. Too bad. I only tried a couple that I really wanted to try, and got shot down. I think the Quest Bar request went through though, looking forward to trying them.

Most insurances require BMI of 40 and above, or 35 and above PLUS 2 comorbidities. Are they recommending that you gain weight to qualify for surgery? That sounds dangerous to me.

Why in the world would you want this?

Are you already failing, or expecting to fail?

Yeah, it can be hard. The headaches I got the second or third day after giving up carbs were unbearable! Pretty good idea to try to ween yourself off of them ahead of time. Don't make yourself miserable longer than you have to though. You really won't crave them the same after surgery, so it is actually a lot easier then.

I make a dish where I use it with some shrimp, imitation crabmeat, stir fried vegetables, garlic and olive oil. It is delicious!

Yes, you will definitely know it! And once you find it, you will want to not ever eat to that point again! It is more of a discomfort in your chest than in your stomach area now.

I assume you meant August 6. I am 6 months out. In the first 4 months, I had 4 separate 2-week stalls, the first one right around the 2 week mark. I am still down 89 lbs in under 6 months. Just keep following the plan. The body doesn't release weight in a straight line. After 1 2 week stall, I lost 5 lbs overnight, then a lb a day for almost 2 weeks, then another stall. It can be frustrating, but don't get discouraged!

Yeah, the ketosis is horrible, and my breath could knock over a horse!

Don't look at it like it is cheating! Look at it like this - before the surgery, would you have stopped, or been able to stop at three spoonfuls? I admit, it is a bit soon to be deviating from the plan. But if you go forever denying yourself an occasional treat, that is no way to live. Forgive yourself, and get back with the program.

I track religiously, which is a complete shock to me. I tried tracking during a previous diet and never stuck to it. I think it was because I couldn't be honest with myself about what I was putting in my body. Now it is easier, because I'm doing mostly the right things. It helps me get to my Protein goal every day, and to keep carbs down. It also helps me see when my calories are too low. I had a day recently where I had only eaten about 500 calories by 8pm, so I made myself eat a snack. I tend to stall when my calories are too low, and the only reason I know that is because of MyFitnessPal.

I drink lots of crystal light, and I use the Mio Water flavoring. As far as exercise and preventing blood clots, just walk as much as you can. I went for a walk every day, even if it was just around my block a couple times. I didn't do anything more until I was cleared for exercise at 6 weeks. As for what to eat, that all depends on what stage you are in, and your doctor's recommendations. If you tell us what stage you are in (liquid, purée, mushy, etc), we could probably give you some ideas.

Hey' date=' who said he looks like a little old man??? [/quote']

My stepmom said it to my wife.

It took me 2 weeks before I could sleep on my side without feeling like I was twisting something. The first week I slept sitting up on the couch with my feet on the ottoman.

I got the surgery at 174 lbs cuz my lapband slipped (started at 248 lbs almost 4 yrs ago) and I knew I'd gain every lb back that I had lost without anything. I probly wouldn't have gotten wls for 44 lbs. There's quite a few of us here that revised to sleeve from band at a lower bmi (mine was 28) but we still needed it.

OK, that makes sense. I just didn't realize they would even do the surgery at such a low BMI, even if it is a revision. Thanks for clearing it up.