SmilingEyes

Congratulation! So happy for you and proud that you are sticking to it.. keep up the good work.. you got this! Enjoy working that sleeve!

Congratulation! So happy for you and proud that you are sticking to it.. keep up the good work.. you got this! Enjoy working that sleeve!

So there I was ...330 pounds of exhausted, heavy breathing, high blood pressured, diabetic, sleep apnea laden, shell of his former self humanity. I had taken the "normal" way many times, the slippery slope of hundreds of diets, miracle cures, and sure fire programs only to tumble back down in a heap, more unhealthy than before.
My wife began talking to me about weight loss surgery. She had been up that slope as many times as me and fell down with the same result. I was appalled that she would choose such a drastic step, I volunteered to hold a gun at her head at dinner time... in my mind the same as what she proposed. The batting of her big, beautiful eyes melted me down as it always does and I ended up at an "information" meeting held by the surgeon at our local Center of Excellence bariatric hospital.
My steely resistence melted away when I detected the sound of sound science and saw the many results obtained by the patients there. I came away from the meeting sleeve-minded to the shock and delight of my bride.
Now, a year and a half later, I am free of excess fat, diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, and all that accompanies them. The only heavy breathing I do is when I run up a steep hill with 2 1/2 pound weights on each foot, carrying a 20 pound kettle bell, full speed, 12 times. Even then I am back to normal breathing before I hit the shower back home. This from a guy that used to compare the steps to the upstairs bedroom with Mt. Everest.
So now I feel guity. It was a lot easier to get the operation than suffer with the effects of obesity. It was easier to make an effective intervention than run down a thousand more dead end streets. It was easier to take a chance on life than taking a dirt nap that odds are would have happened by now.
But, you know, guilt can be earned or slapped on you by ignorant people. The same folks that charge you with the high crime of "taking the easy way out" would take the same route in a heartbeat if they weren't such lilly-livered cowards.
So I will file the guilt of "easiness" away in the same folder with the shock belt I bought some years ago that was supposed to melt away fat but succeeded in just making burn marks on my belly; the folder of dumb ideas.

My hubs picked me up during sex last night. First time eva!! It was so freakin awesome but it scared me. Lol

the Sleeve wins again!!! :-)

Today is the day! I am less than 6 months out (sleeved on December 6) and I finally hit 100 lbs down. I started at 290 and am now 190. The big success was when I broke into "one-derland" but this feels really good, too. I work out every day and just ran my first 5k today! I never thought I would say that. I'm sorry if this sounds like gloating, I just want everyone to know there IS hope and you WILL get there with the determination. I still have a long way to go, but I am at the point now that since I am working out consistently, I feel like the sleeve isn't doing all of the work.. I'm doing my part too. I hope that makes sense.
Anyways, tonight I'm celebrating with a glass of wine and a movie!

*hugs*
Holy guacamole. You have so many challenges and struggles to face every day, and I think you're truly a warrior for facing them--even with fear, feelings of sadness, all the gloom that follows many of us around when we feel bad for being overweight.
You should be proud. Many others would simply curl into a ball and stop functioning completely. Fragile? I think you're stronger than you realize, emotionally and mentally, if not physically (yet)!
Where are you in your WLS journey? If you're just starting out, believe me, this board can be a source of comfort and inspiration--and one day soon, you will be telling a success story that will inspire someone else who is feeling very breakable. Hang in there; you're not alone!

I just got back from Disneyland and 2 cruises last week and lost 5 lbs.
As long as you're going to be resting (a lot), you should be fine because there are always fresh yogurts to be found, nice pureed Soups at all of the meals and the wait staff will accommodate just about any request.
I stocked my cabin's fridge with Protein drinks to supplement as well.
Walking laps on a cruise ship can be quite nice!

After following my wife on her journey, I have decided to become a sleever myself! July 23rd, dr Garcia at florence. I am really excited. My wife has done so well and I am looking at it As a lifestyle change for both of us! Now we can both eat the same the rest of our lives! Not to mention being so much healthier and not overweight! July can't come soon enough!

Today I weigh 180! My new goal is 170! This has been the best thing I have ever done for myself! Check out my gallery to see some before, after and during pics - the change is amazing! My husband is taking me shopping this weekend - for size 10's!!!! Check out my signature below to see my progression -
some months were slower than others....but there was always a loss....
If I never lose another pound - I am perfectly happy with where I am at now.
My hair is getting thicker again, my skin isn't too bad....I mean, I have had 3 kids - those are my tiger stripes - right??
If you are hesitant - don't be -
Go for it!
I didn't think it would work for me -
I didn't think it COULD work for me.....
It is amazing -
Best thing EVER!!!!

Please, consider your question carefully. I know the addiction is strong (I smoked for over 30 yrs) but you had 85% of your stomach removed so that you could live a long, happy, healthy, and more active life and now you want to start smoking again?
The reason they have you stop smoking is because it interferes with your healing. You won't be totally healed from the operation for another month.
After the 3rd day you no longer have a physical addiction to the nicotine. It is ALL in your head. Love yourself enough to not start smoking again. And yes, it is hard. I haven't smoked since 2005 and I still want one every once in awhile.
Hang in there *HUG*

i am so glad you said that!! I couldn't agree more. The last thing someone needs to do is try and look for something they are doing wrong. If you are doing what your Doc says to do then just keep doing it! I totally agree.. your body is just adjusting!

So happy to hit 29.8 BMI today. I am officially not "obese" any more!

I really like GNC Amplified Wheybolic extreme 60. It is 60 grams of Protein if you make a full shake which is 12 ounces (3 scoops) it has 7gms of carbohydrates and of that 7 grams the sugar is only 2 grams.. pre-op diet I personally was doing 8 ounces (2 scoops) which gave me 40 grams of protein twice a day for a total of 80 grams per day. Good luck and hope this is helpful!

I really like GNC Amplified Wheybolic extreme 60. It is 60 grams of Protein if you make a full shake which is 12 ounces (3 scoops) it has 7gms of carbohydrates and of that 7 grams the sugar is only 2 grams.. pre-op diet I personally was doing 8 ounces (2 scoops) which gave me 40 grams of protein twice a day for a total of 80 grams per day. Good luck and hope this is helpful!

Not too much longer now!! There will be many, many different opinions on last suppers or food funerals. Ultimately you have to do what works best for you. Once I committed to surgery and changing my lifestyle, I started embracing my choices instead of dreading them (that always lead to failure on any traditional diet I was on) I started tracking my food on My fitness pal, I wanted to be accountable to myself for my intake.
For me, easing into this better-eating life worked. I didn't mourn the loss of what I can't have. The beauty of the sleeve is that there are no "off limit" items. You are bound only by the choices you make. You will have your favorites again if you choose, just much smaller portions. Your better relationship with food starts when you decide, not the day after surgery. So make the best decisions for you.
Best of luck!!

congrats!... keep up the good work!!!

While in theory I completely agree with you, we don't live in a theoretical world. There are a number of reasons why that level of honesty is not and should not be required of us, and it's not right to put the onus of "disservice to the community" on everyone who has had the surgery.
You seem to be a strong person, and very certain in your own decision, but that isn't really true of everyone. Telling people whom you suspect or know will be negative may have long-term stressful impacts for the sleever who isn't fully comfortable with admitting to the surgery, or who will have a lot of negative responses among their friends, family and acquaintances. Having to deal with the additional stress of battling negativity can be counterproductive for a number of reasons. For some of us, stress is a trigger for poor eating behaviors. Others are already battling heart issues, blood pressure, and other illnesses where additional stress may exacerbate their condition. Plus, chronic high stress can result in cortisol production, which interferes with weight loss.
Additionally, there are reasons why medical information is protected information. While I am not particularly private in some regards, I certainly don't choose to share my medical history, issues, and resolutions with each casual acquaintance with the temerity to ask an impudent and invasive question. If it's family or a close friend who asks, and whom I haven't shared the info with, I may very well go into it - it's worth the time, trouble, and invasion of my privacy to help someone close to me understand my reasoning, even if they don't ultimately agree. However, I don't necessarily feel the need to invest that much of myself in a casual acquaintance with no "need to know". There is no just saying "I had weight loss surgery". There will be follow-up questions that will likely involve details that I don't necessarily want to discuss with the general public, at the very least, and that's assuming a neutral or positive attitude about it. If the questioner is negative about it, it can end up very much like some of the threads here.
Now, if someone asks me point-blank if I had surgery, I'm not going to deny it, especially if they are honestly curious about the surgery or are looking for solutions for themselves or others. But just because someone asks something intrusive is no reason that I must answer, even for the good of the community. I don't have to take one for the team in this case. The info is already out there, in places like this.

Thanks .. that was informative. Just another reason that i feel i've made the right choice.

i am so glad you said that!! I couldn't agree more. The last thing someone needs to do is try and look for something they are doing wrong. If you are doing what your Doc says to do then just keep doing it! I totally agree.. your body is just adjusting!

i am so glad you said that!! I couldn't agree more. The last thing someone needs to do is try and look for something they are doing wrong. If you are doing what your Doc says to do then just keep doing it! I totally agree.. your body is just adjusting!

I have found when you say you're hungry on here you get criticized... I am hungrier than I was before surgery. I've had people tell me there's no way I can be hungry! It's just acid, you need a PPI, etc.. I am hungry more often. I wish I wasn't... I do feel I have to think about eating more than I used to. If i let the hunger go too long without eating I struggle to eat slow enough, because I feel ravenous! I will figure it out, but saddened to see others make accusations when we vent or tell our experience. I know I am in control, but I've been in control my entire life and have been morbidly obese most of it! You don't turn the Titanic around on dime... Some of are slower than others! I've not weighed what I was now in probably 25 years... That part is wonderful! The eating is still a struggle. So sad that not everyone can understand that, but not everyone can.

Thanks .. that was informative. Just another reason that i feel i've made the right choice.